We may receive a commission for purchases made by using the affiliate/partner links in this post at no additional cost to you. Thank you for helping to support our podcast!


Welcome to Homespun Haints, the ghost story podcast where we interview guests who have stories from haunted places and locations they’ve lived in. Today, we talk to Ren, who, like Becky, shared a home with non-living entities in Chicago, where things got progressively more spooky.

Episode Summary

Can ghosts be felt, and not heard? At what point must you stop telling yourself you’re just imagining things, and face the hard truth that you’re not alone in your home? What do you do if, every evening, you find yourself confronted by something so evil you’re worried it might consume you? Also, how do you stop it?

What if you were all by yourself? Young, poor, hundreds of miles from family. Just trying to get by, every day, on top of dealing with this thing that inhabits your home. 

This is the predicament that Ren found himself in as he started a new life in Chicago, which happens to be one of the most haunted cities in the United States.

Episode Show Notes

Haunted Places and Locations in Chicago

On the show, Becky and Diana talk extensively about cultural differences between the Midwest and the South with regards to ghosts. Chicago, however, is full of ghosts. Here is a list of the ten most haunted places in Chicago.

Not mentioned in the above list (though it should be) is Bachelor’s Grove, which may be one of the most haunted places in the country. Could this abandoned, desecrated, 1800s cemetery outside of Chicago have been a dumping ground for gangster victims during Prohibition?

River North Arts District

Ren’s story takes place in the ’90s in the River North neighborhood of Chicago. In that neighborhood, things have changed quite a bit since the time of Ren’s story. So you can read a little about those transitions here.

Haunted places and locations in Chicago include the now bustling area called River North
The bustling River North neighborhood today, much different then how it was in Ren’s story. Photo by Benjamin Rascoe on Unsplash

Treasure Island

Treasure Island was a high-end grocery chain, but it closed down a few years ago. If you’re curious, you can read about its demise here.

Paranormal Chicago Ghost Stories

Some of our best paranormal podcast episodes are about the Chicago area! For example…

Becky lived in Chicagoland long enough to know it’s an incredibly supernatural place. Have you had a paranormal experience in haunted Chicago? Submit to tell your story as the next guest on Homespun Haints, and tell us about your spooky day!