Ghost hunting is a fun hobby. It is a nice way to socialize with people from different backgrounds who share this common interest. It’s a great excuse to get together, hang out and share ghosts stories and unusual experiences. The best place to for such social ghost hunting is at a haunted pub!
Once a small group of us ghost enthusiasts went to visit the famed Red Lion Pub in Chicago. This pub is called the most haunted pub in the city. It is right across from the Biograph Theater where gangster John Dillinger was shot down in an alley. The over 100-year-old building had a history of being involved with the Chicago gangsters of the 1940s. Here is a link to the Red Lion’s website that tells about the fascinating history of the pub: http://www.redlionchicago.com/history.html
Second floor at the Red Lion
The stories about the Red Lion Pub concern multiple hauntings. The stories of ghosts include a young cowboy, a blond guy, and a bearded man-in-black. The most enduring ghost story involves the ghost of a young lady. Some stories suggest a beautiful young woman had died (was murdered?) in an apartment over the pub. Other stories say she is a flapper from the 1920s. Most convincing are the stories of a mentally challenged woman who lived and passed away at the building. These hauntings are said to occur on the pub’s second floor.
The stories of the manifestations include sightings of vanishing people, objects moved in closed rooms, voices heard when no one is present, cold spots, invisible touches, the scent of a powerful perfume, and ladies getting locked in the women’s restroom…and then released after a few minutes with nobody around.
The evening our group arrived at the Red Lion Pub, we immediately went upstairs where the haunting is said to occur. Luckily it was empty so we were able to take photos without attracting attention. Not that it mattered. We are not the first to visit the pub with ghostly intentions. We all shared our stories and speculated about the pub and the nature of whatever might be present. When a ghost story involves what seems to be multiple spirits, that is really baffling. Solitary ghosts make sense, but what to make of multiple ghosts? We could only speculate that spirits gather together, just as the living does. Maybe ghosts like to socialize as well?
I did a tarot card reading, not for the living, but for the dead…for whatever unseen might be present. There actually is logic involved in tarot card readings for the dead. A tarot reading in a public place immediately attracts attention. I have done readings for people at social gatherings as something fun to do, and it always gets noticed. If it attracts the attention of the living, why not the dead as well? The dead probably don’t pay much attention to ordinary activity, but something new and unique might pique their interest…and perhaps allow us to take their picture! Looking at the cards I laid out, using the celtic cross method, I noticed a strong element of tragedy in the cards…very apt for the situation.
As the evening got late, other people eventually came upstairs and we put our cameras away. Of the pictures we took, the most intriguing picture was taken by one of our lady comrades. She took this picture in the second floor women’s restroom. This is where there were reports of women getting mysteriously locked in the lady’s restroom and then released. It is a picture of multiple orbs in a swirling pattern. The most persistent haunting story involves a ghostly female, and it is of note this photo was taken in the women’s restroom. Mere coincidence?
2nd floor women's restroom
http://occultview.com/2009/03/03/chicag ... -lion-pub/
