Red Lion Pub

Though only opened in 1984 by English pub aficionado John Cordwell, the building's location in Lincoln Park has hosted various establishments for generations. The pub is said to be haunted by as many as seven ghosts from the location's long history.

The Red Lion Pub at 2446 North Lincoln Avenue is reputed to be the most haunted eating and drinking establishment in Chicago. The building dates to 1882 and has served as a grocery store, illegal gambling parlor, and a western bar called Dirty Dan's before opening as a British-style pub in 1984.

The pub's location across from the Biograph Theater—where John Dillinger was gunned down—and its proximity to Lincoln Park, which was built over a 19th-century cemetery for cholera victims and Confederate soldiers, may explain its paranormal activity. Many graves were relocated when the city developed the area, but some remain unmarked beneath the modern landscape.

The pub is said to be haunted by as many as seven ghosts. The most famous is the "Lavender Woman," a spirit haunting the second floor. Staff and patrons hear her shrieks and crying from the bathroom, yet every attempt to open the door fails until the sounds cease—when the bathroom is found empty. She's also blamed for knocking plates from servers' hands and rearranging furniture, sometimes pushing all bar stools and chairs to the center of the room.

A blond man, a bearded man in a black hat, and a scruffy cowboy have all been spotted. The cowboy is thought to be Dirty Dan himself, who was evicted from the building and swore revenge. Owner John Cordwell was once pushed down the steps by an invisible force, possibly by Dan's vengeful spirit.

When Cordwell renovated the second-floor apartments into dining space, activity increased dramatically. Heavy footsteps and furniture sounds were heard from upstairs when no one was there. Over the stairway, Cordwell installed a stained-glass window memorializing his father, who was buried in England without a headstone. People passing the window suddenly feel dizzy, claiming to sense "something" nearby—Cordwell became convinced it was his father's spirit, who never received a proper burial.

The current owner reports chairs pulling themselves out and his dog reacting to an unseen presence descending the stairs.