Jane Addams Hull-House Museum

Founded in 1889 by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr as Chicago's first settlement house, the mansion was originally built in 1856 for real estate developer Charles J. Hull. The site is known as one of the most haunted places in both Chicago and the United States, and is a frequent stop on Chicago ghost tours.

The Jane Addams Hull-House, founded in 1889 by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr, became one of America's first settlement houses and a pioneering force in social work. The mansion itself was built in 1856 for wealthy real estate developer Charles J. Hull, who lived there only four years before his wife and two sons died within its walls. Hull never returned to the grief-stricken home.

In spring 1913, thousands of Chicagoans descended on Hull-House, desperate to see a rumored "Devil Baby" supposedly hidden in the attic. The legend came in two versions—one for Italian Catholics, one for Jewish immigrants—but both involved an innocent bride whose villainous husband caused their child to be born with horns and a tail. Some versions claimed the infant could spout profanities within months of birth. The distraught mother reportedly brought the baby to Hull-House, where a mystified Jane Addams supposedly locked it away.

For six weeks, Hull-House residents rebuffed requests and demands to see the creature, with people lining up down the street offering money. Addams herself wrote in The Atlantic in 1916 explaining the truth and analyzing why the legend so captivated immigrant women.

Beyond the Devil Baby legend, Hull-House has genuine haunted history. When Addams and Starr began renting the space, current tenants told stories of Millicent, Charles Hull's wife, haunting her former bedroom. Addams initially used the room but was awakened by a woman hovering over her bed and heard phantom conversations. After guests reported identical experiences, Addams closed the room and used it only for storage. Residents reportedly left bowls of water atop stairs, believing spirits could not cross bodies of water.

Today, people still report hearing the Devil Baby scurrying in the attic. Millicent's ghost—a lady in white—continues to be seen, along with shadowy figures in Catholic monk robes walking in and around the building. A concrete slab in the courtyard is said to be a portal to hell.

The original 13-building complex was demolished in 1963 for the University of Illinois Chicago campus. Two surviving buildings now comprise the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum.