Lincoln Park Zoo

Chicago, Illinois

The Lincoln Park Zoo is a 35-acre wildlife experience in the heart of Chicago that contains 1,100 animals from 200 different species. It is one of only a handful of free-admission zoos on the continent. Founded in 1868 it is the fourth oldest zoo in North America, and the number one most haunted.

The area that the zoo now encompasses was once known as the Chicago City Cemetery which at its peak contained 35,000 burials. The cemetery’s location on a low part of land close to the lake never sat right with Chicago residents since its creation as it was strongly believed to have contaminated the water supply aiding the spread of illness and disease. Due to these concerns, a public health official Dr. John Rauch began a movement to put an end to burials at the location ultimately achieving success with the relocation of most of the bodies to other local cemeteries outside the city limits.

Although the city’s historical records pertaining to the disinterment and relocation of the bodies state that all burials had been attended to, historians claim that some 12,000 were actually unaccounted for. Reports of finding human remains at the location were first reported in 1899 by the Chicago Tribune and have continued to the present day.

The most famous example of the Lincoln Park Zoo’s past is the case of Ira Couch’s tomb. Ira an accomplished hotelier was the city’s second wealthiest resident. After his death in 1857 following a family trip to Cuba, Ira was laid to rest in the city cemetery, entombed within a grand mausoleum. The construction of the which garnished quite a bit of attention at the time due to its extravagance. When it came time for relocations of the cemetery’s residents, Ira’s tomb was mysteriously excluded from the endeavor. Some claim that the wealthy family fought back against the plan and ultimately got their way, others simply say that it was just too heavy and too costly to move. Whatever the real reason, Ira Couch’s tomb stands today as a reminder of Lincoln Park’s storied history.

With a background as interesting as Lincoln Park’s, there is no lack of stories concerning paranormal phenomena attributed to the site. Visitors often report catching a glimpse of apparitions in Victorian Era dress strolling through various parts of the zoo with a particular concentration near the Lion House. At times the ghostly figure of a woman appears behind patrons in the women’s restroom only to vanish into thin air before the visitor can turn around. Numerous workers have reported flickering lights, faucets turning on on their own, and doors slamming behind them. The location even comes with its own urban legend surrounding Ira Couch’s tomb. It is said that if you approach the mausoleum at midnight and recite the following words;  “The graves belong to the dead, not the living,” you will be immediately greeted by the apparition of Ira himself.

Visit

For information on the zoo’s hours, exhibits, and events: Lincoln Park Zoo

Sources:

www.cbsnews.com

www.lpzoo.org