Cook County holds three of Illinois's ten most haunted places

With Halloween approaching, three Cook County places rank among Illinois's ten most haunted in HauntBound's 2026 index, including the James M. Nederlander Theatre at #8. The index ranks 156 Illinois sites by separate published accounts and how far back they go, not by fame or search popularity.

James M. Nederlander Theatre ranks #8. It opened as the Iroquois Theatre in November 1903; a fire five weeks later killed 602 people, the deadliest single-building fire in U.S. history. Two separate published accounts describe activity there, the earliest dated to 2005. The alley behind the theater, Couch Place, remains a stop on Chicago ghost tours, and CBS Chicago has aired recordings investigators describe as EVP.

Bachelor's Grove Forest Preserve ranks #2. The wooded Cook County land surrounds the historic cemetery, reached by a trail from the Rubio Woods lot. Four separate published accounts describe activity there, the earliest dated to 1950. Visitors describe a phantom sedan vanishing on the road, and a white farmhouse with a woman on the porch that disappears when approached.

Also in the top ten: the Drake Hotel (#9).

Statewide, Peoria State Hospital in Bartonville ranks #1, and Resurrection Cemetery in Justice, the state's most famous haunted site, misses the top ten.

"We rank by evidence, not legend: independent published accounts, documented history, and how far back the reports go. We don't claim ghosts are real, or that they aren't. We document where the reports concentrate, and we show our work," said Ben Fineman, editor of HauntBound. The ranking shows each site's documented record.

Visiting:James M. Nederlander Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St., is a working Broadway theater; the alley behind it, Couch Place, is accessible at any hour.Bachelor's Grove Forest Preserve, off Rubio Woods on 143rd Street in Midlothian, is Cook County Forest Preserve land open sunrise to sunset only.The Drake Hotel, 140 E. Walton Pl., is a working hotel; its Palm Court offers afternoon tea to non-guests.

For media:The full ranking: https://hauntbound.com/most-haunted/illinois/The fact sheet, with Chicago numbers and cleared images: https://hauntbound.com/press/fact-sheets/illinois/Photo: Bachelor's Grove Forest Preserve, on the fact sheet.Venue contact: nederlandertheatres.com and fpdcc.com and hilton.comA short version follows.

HauntBound (hauntbound.com) is a family-friendly field guide to more than 6,000 documented haunted and historic places across the United States, ranked by published evidence rather than legend. No venue pays to be listed or ranked.

Media contact: Ben Fineman, Editor, HauntBound, editor@hauntbound.com

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