1887 Victorian Limestone Cottage with Documented Poltergeist Coverage
608 Morgan Street, Joliet, IL 60436
Age
Drive-by viewing only
Cost
Free
Private residence. No public access. View only from the public sidewalk.
Access
Limited Access
Public sidewalk
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1887 · Frank Shaver Allen Architecture · Queen Anne Limestone Cottage · 1970s Joliet Poltergeist Coverage
Frank Shaver Allen was a prominent late-nineteenth-century Joliet architect who arrived in the city around 1886 after winning the commission for Christ Episcopal Church. His Joliet portfolio also includes Joliet Central High School. He built his own home at 608 Morgan Street in 1887, designing a Queen Anne limestone cottage with a cylindrical tower and elaborate woodworking.
Allen relocated his family to the Los Angeles area in 1904, where he continued his architectural practice. The Morgan Street house passed through subsequent owners over the twentieth century. Cean Magosky's parents purchased the property in 1967 or 1968 and raised their family there through the period when the most-publicized paranormal events occurred.
In the 1970s, the house became the subject of a local-press investigation after the resident family reported sustained poltergeist activity over more than a decade. A Joliet newspaperwoman and a team of psychics worked with the family on the documentation. The Shaw Local Herald-News published a 2023 oral-history piece with Cean Magosky recalling growing up in the house. In 2017, an Illinois ghost-history aggregator named the property among the ten most-haunted houses in the state.
Sources
The Allen House is unusual among Shadowlands entries in that the haunting has substantial newspaper documentation. A Joliet newspaperwoman and a team of psychics worked with the resident family in the 1970s on a sustained investigation that produced contemporary press coverage. Cean Magosky, who grew up in the house, recalled in a 2023 Shaw Local Herald-News interview a pattern of paranormal events that began in childhood and continued through the family's ownership.
Reported phenomena described by residents and investigators include door-slamming and unexplained voice or scream events, visible shadow figures, unexplained odors, and illusory fire effects. A renovation and redecoration period in the house reportedly intensified the activity. Multiple identified figures circulate in the family's accounts - an elderly woman believed to have died of a terminal illness in the house, a former nanny seen with a small boy, and the boy himself, who appeared to a child resident inviting him to join him as a playmate.
The property remains a private residence. Public access to the house is not available; sidewalk viewing only.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
The Frank Shaver Allen House sits at 608 Morgan Street in Joliet. The 1887 limestone cottage features a cylindrical tower and detailed Queen Anne woodwork. The property is a private residence; do not approach the building or driveway.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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