Haunted Joliet: Website Profile's the City's Spookiest Sites

The Hiram B. Scutt Mansion at 206 N. Broadway St. Credit: File photo

Halloween is almost upon us, and while most people settle for make-believe spooks and scares, there are some real-life haunts in Joliet — at least according to HubPages.

The website recently profiled the most haunted locations in the City of Champions. Here’s a roundup of the Joliet spots with the most paranormal activity, according to HubPages:

The Hiram B. Scutt Mansion, 206 N. Broadway St.

Built by Civil War veteran Scutt in 1882, the mansion went into foreclosure in recent years before it was sold in May after being featured on Patch. “This 4,960 square foot home is on the National Register of Historic Places and is considered one of the more haunted locations in Joliet,” HubPages said. “Rumor has it that 2 children died in the home,” and a teenager was shot to death during a party at the house in 2006. Soon after the murder, local historian and John Wilkes Booth impersonator Seth Magosky bought the mansion, but died there unexpectedly in 2007. “Many paranormal investigations have taken place in the home over the years,” HubPages reported. “Visitors report cold spots, with heavy dark vibes coming from the ‘doll room,’ in which visitors feel a sudden urge to leave the room. Others reported hearing voices, felt fingers running through their hair and seeing strange lights/orbs.”

Frank Shaver Allen House, 608 Morgan St.

Built in 1887 by a local historian and Egyptologist, “The Allen house’s paranormal activity has been heavily documented and made the news in the 1970s, when a local reporter and psychics investigated the property,” according to HubPages. “The owners at the time had lived in the home for 10 years and during that time were terrorized by some of the activity. They had reported seeing the spirit of an elderly woman, as well as another woman reportedly to be a nanny that used to work in the home and a young boy, with whom the nanny was in charge of.”

Patrick C. Haley Mansion, 17 S. Center St.

A Frank Shaver Allen-designed home, the Haley mansion was built for Joliet’s then mayor, Patrick C. Haley, in 1891, HubPages notes. “Over the years, the home has been a funeral parlor, and, from the 1990s through present, a banquet facility. Many weddings take place in the mansion and the garden grounds. Guests have reported seeing spirits and hearing voices of two different males. Speculation is that both Patrick C. Haley himself and a former funeral director both haunt the mansion.”

A.J. Bates House, 500 Western Ave.

Another home designed by Frank Shaver Allen, the house was built in 1888 in what is now the Upper Bluff Historic District. “Native Jolietans had heard rumors passed down for years about the seedy past of this home,” HuPages reports. “A Dr. Bagosi is said to have done illegal abortions on the 3rd floor of the home as well as other “experiments” on people. In general, people who grew up in the area has always know this to be the ‘haunted’ or ‘creepy’ house.”

Rialto Square Theatre, 102 N. Chicago St.

Built as a vaudeville movie house in 1926, the Rialto has a long history of haunting and has been the site of numerous paranormal investigations — including a visit from the crew of the Syfy show “Ghost Hunters.” According to HubPages: “Guests and staff have reported seeing an apparition of a woman in several areas of the theatre, with activity happening mostly after-hours when the theatre is quiet. A second pair of ghosts, one male and one female are reportedly sighted in the balcony. Legend has it that a couple plunged to their deaths from the balcony section. A young boy is also said to haunt the theatre.”

A.C. Clement House, 519 Campbell St.

According to HubPages, businessman Arthur Charles Clement had the home built in 1902 but committed suicide before ever moving into the house. The site reports that the location has served as both a retirement home (“shut down in the 1950s after several deaths and allegations of neglect and abuse”) and a funeral home. Its current owners have reported seeing apparitions of a woman, man and young boy and “also experienced strange smells such as urine, smoke and perfume. Audible experiences include hearing voices, someone knocking and footsteps. The most frightening things that happened were electrical items turning on by themselves, items being moved and physical contact such as touching and pushing. The owner’s dogs bark at nothing and refuse to go into certain rooms in the home,” according to HubPages.

University of St. Francis/Mother House, 500 Wilcox St.

“Visitors and students report seeing an apparition of a nun pacing the halls. Others report feeling like someone is watching them. Some have heard footsteps, moans and whispers in the halls,” HubPages reports.

Joliet Correctional Center, 1127 Collins St.

Made famous by ”The Blues Brothers” and “Prison Break,” the prison was built in 1858; a women’s prison, which had reports of unspeakable treatment and sexual abuse by prison guards, was built across the street in the late 1890s. “Guards and staff have reported a singing ghost and a sense of foreboding and dread. Some people have felt cold rushes of air whip past them and being shoved from behind,” HubPages reports.

Potter’s Field Cemetery/Will County Farm Cemetery, Mission Boulevard

Established in 1850 as a place for homeless people to live, “Many of those people are buried on the site where the farm once stood,” HubPages notes, adding that there is speculation that up to 150 people could be buried on the site. Only one of the graves has a name on it; the rest are marked with a number. “People who have visited the site at night have reported seeing strange lights and orbs that move quickly. Some have also felt cold spots in certain places,” according to HubPages.

Originally published in 2014