Hauntings on Prairie Avenue
Affluence and opulence aren’t forever, but the ghosts of the past can be. The ground where Chicago’s Prairie Avenue sits has gone through multiple transformations. First the site of Native American trails, then a slice of Chicago’s millionaire lifestyle, the historic district is imbued with generations of memories struggling to find their place in the post-industrial age restoration.
Today, the Prairie Avenue Historic District is a recreation of its former glory, covering the 1800 and 1900 blocks of South Prairie Avenue where millionaires once flourished. Though some pieces of yesteryear have vanished from the historic district, there are still structures standing that tell fantastic stories of higher society living diluted by time. Just under a dozen mansions remain, many with a spectral presence just waiting to tell their story or look after the stately home.
Prairie Avenue was once home to Chicago’s elite. Now, it’s more of a graveyard where the ethereal, well-to-do return to revisit the lifestyle they once enjoyed.
What happened on Prairie Avenue?
You should ask, “What didn’t happen on Prairie Avenue?” Pick a restored mansion, and there’s some story to listen to. From the mysterious murder of a million-dollar heir to the architect who passed away before finishing his last job, Prairie Avenue is ripe for many different ghosts. The district’s blood-stained grounds from an early 19th-century massacre lend to the ghostly legends that make Prairie Avenue appealing for some and maybe a little scary for others.
Prairie Avenue’s haunted history is a lot to take in, but it’s only a sliver of what haunted Chicago has waiting in its shadows. Book your Chicago ghost tour to get caught up in the bounty of otherworldly tales of the Windy City.
Before the Wealthy Came to Chicago
Prairie Avenue’s lavish mansions may be a notable part of its legacy, but its history extends beyond the wealthy who once inhabited the district. Before becoming an exclusive retreat for the city’s haut monde, the region belonged to the Potawatomi and other Native tribes. As settlers moved into the Great Lakes region, they pushed Native Americans off their land, forcing them further away from Lake Michigan’s resources.
Built alongside the Chicago River in 1803, Fort Dearborn stood as a symbol of the settler’s control over the land. Their presence incited anger among the local tribes, including the Potawatomi. Tensions were high when the settlers were ordered to evacuate the fort in 1812, fueled by stories of raids and killings by the roving tribes. Captain Nathan Heald had the opportunity to mend the relationship with the Potawatomi, but in a last-minute decision, reneged on a deal to provide the Natives with supplies.
Two days later, the settlers left Fort Dearborn only hours after the sun rose over the land. Not long into their journey, the settlers, led by Captain Heald, were met by a band of some 500 Potawatomi. Just miles from where Chicago’s most prosperous would build their expansive residences nearly 60 years later, blood was spilled. The settlers suffered massive casualties, and the origins of some of Chicago’s oldest spirits were laid.
The Wealth of Prairie Avenue
The first sizable abode came to Prairie Avenue in 1870. The following year, millionaire Marshall Field, Jr. moved to the area and commissioned his own mansion. It didn’t take long for the blocks of Prairie Avenue to fill as wealthy businessmen like John Jacob Glessner, William Kimball, and Elbridge G. Keith charged notable architects with designing and constructing their multi-leveled luxurious homes.
Field, Keith, Kimball, and Glessner were among the most recognizable names on Prairie Avenue, and they were known for their successes in different industries. Keith, for example, made his money with a hat-making enterprise started with his brothers. Glessner, on the other hand, worked with farm equipment and became a full partner at the former Warder, Child & Co. firm.
Each home built for these moneyed individuals is unique, not just in who once owned it or its architectural style. The memories imprinted on it vary, echoing a different end to anyone who may have stepped foot within its alluring architecture. What they have in common, though, is their contributions to the spookier side of Prairie Avenue.
The Mysterious Death of Marshall Field, Jr.
Prairie Avenue, like many historical spots in the United States, is marred by something horrific. The 1812 battle at Fort Dearborn laid the groundwork for a heavy energy that seeped deep into the soil, along with the blood and viscera of every individual, Native or not, killed that morning. It still lingers there today, thickening the air with a darkness that molded from the tragic deaths of the Native Americans and settlers who lost their lives nearby.
Is that energy responsible for the death of Marshall Field, Jr., found shot in his home on Prairie Avenue on November 27, 1905? Field’s death remains unsolved, though suicide or a misfiring while cleaning the gun are the more popular theories. However, one Vera Scott came forward in 1913, confessing to shooting him before eventually recanting her statements. According to Scott, Field was shot in a private room at the nearby Everleigh Club on Dearborn Street and then discretely brought back to his home.
After Field’s death, his wife and children abandoned the brilliant home, and for years, the building was left vacant. It eventually housed a psychiatric hospital before being sold in the 1970s to the Chicago Architectural Foundation. Ultimately left to fall into disrepair, the mansion was converted into six luxury condos during the restoration of Prairie Avenue.
The Many Haunts of Prairie Avenue
The two-block historical district may give Salem, Mass., a run for its money. Spirits and residual hauntings are common along Prairie Avenue, the ghostly sightings attributed to some of the region’s bigger names like Field, Kimball, and Keith. Though Field suffered the only sudden and tragic passing that may be tying him to his former home, the others found reason to return to what’s been hailed as Chicago’s “Millionaires’ Row.”
Patrolling the Glessner Mansion is believed to be the building’s original architect, Henry Hobson Richardson, who died shortly after he drew up blueprints but before construction began. The Kimball home still belongs to Evalyne Kimball, the heartbroken widow who slowly succumbed to dementia after the passing of William Wallace Kimball.
While the rattling windows of Kimball Manor are enough to spook anyone, the Keith house needs no active paranormal activity to send spectators running. The home itself is ripped right out of a horror movie; its gothic facade tells of the otherworldly presence that still calls it home.
Prairie Avenue Historic District is not light on stories, especially those of the ghostly variety. It’s just one of many places to visit while getting to know more about haunted Chicago. To hear more stories of the city’s spooky past, book your Chicago ghost tour today, and be sure to read our blog, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
Sources:
https://chicagology.com/skyscrapers/skyscrapers133/earle3/
https://chicago.curbed.com/maps/expanded-the-best-most-terrifying-hauntings-in-chicago
http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1003.html
https://glessnerhouse.blogspot.com/2014/11/elbridge-keith-house.html
https://www.glessnerhouse.org/glessner-family
https://drloihjournal.blogspot.com/2016/11/woman-clears-mystery-of-marshall-field.html
https://chicagology.com/notorious-chicago/marshallfieldjr/
https://playeatlas.com/prairie-avenue-chicagos-first-millionaires-row/
https://hauntedhouses.com/illinois/glessner-house/
https://horrorobsessive.com/2023/01/01/glessner-house-and-the-ghosts-of-prairie-avenue/
