We’re back with another episode of Paranormal Optimist! This week, we talk about the haunted history of the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago. Tune in to hear about thousands of unmarked graves under the feet of pedestrians, prohibition era ghosts who just love to drink, cult ties, human sacrifice, and a ghost who constantly reenacts his own death from the final chapter of his saga of crime. Fun, right?

If you’d like to be a guest on the show, suggest an episode, or have a story you’d like to share for the podcast, send me an email at [email protected].

Music: www.purple-planet.com

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Sources Cited in Today’s Episode:

Bannos, P. (n.d.). Hidden truths. https://hiddentruths.northwestern.edu/confusion/hidden/cem_in_park.html

Bannos, P. (n.d.). Hidden truths. https://hiddentruths.northwestern.edu/couch/tomb.html

Bannos, P. (n.d.). Hidden truths. Remaining Vestiges: Frances M. Pearce Memorial. https://hiddentruths.northwestern.edu/evidence/vestiges/pearce.html

Bannos, P. (n.d.). Hidden truths: 1998 excavation. (n.d.). https://hiddentruths.northwestern.edu/evidence/excavation.html

ChloeAttention: This post is over 3 years old and the information may be out of date.Attention: This post is over 3 years old and the information may be out of date.September 14, & Chloe. (2020, September 14). Exploring history through Chicago’s earliest cemeteries. Chicago Public Library. https://www.chipublib.org/blogs/post/chicagos-earliest-cemeteries/

Federal Bureau of Investigation. (n.d.). John Dillinger | Federal Bureau of Investigation. History. https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/john-dillinger

Harrington, A. (n.d.). Chicago hauntings: The mysteries of the couch mausoleum in Lincoln Park and who, if anyone, is entombed there. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/chicago-hauntings-the-mysteries-of-the-couch-mausoleum-in-lincoln-park-and-who-if-anyone-is-entombed-there/

Innovaxis Marketing. (2021, October 20). John Barleycorn’s Wrigleyville: Chicago Bar Project Review. Chicago Bar Project. https://chibarproject.com/reviews/barleycornwrigleyville/

Jaffe, L. (2015, June 18). In Chicago, eternal rest ain’t so eternal. WBEZ. https://www.wbez.org/curious-city/2015/06/17/in-chicago-eternal-rest-aint-so-eternal

John Dillinger lives. America’s Haunted Roadtrip. (2021, August 20). http://americashauntedroadtrip.com/john-dillinger-lives/

Johnson, S. (2020, September 9). Who is John Barleycorn? || gruesome origins & modern retellings. ARCANE ALCHEMY. https://www.arcane-alchemy.com/blog/2020/9/9/who-is-john-barleycorn-gruesome-origins-amp-modern-retellings#:~:text=If%20you%20haven’t%20ever,Song%2C%20give%20it%20a%20listen.&text=The%20story%20of%20John%20Barleycorn,John%20Barleycorn%20is%20even%20older.

Selvam, A. (2023, April 17). John Barleycorn’s Lincoln Park Space finds a new tenant after nine years. Eater Chicago. https://chicago.eater.com/2023/4/17/23687129/bad-apple-lincoln-park-john-barleycorn-burgers-prohibition

Sobottka, S. (2025, May 29). Biograph Theater. Haunted Houses. https://hauntedhouses.com/illinois/biograph-theater/

US Ghost Adventures. (2025, April 16). Hauntings at the Golden Dagger . Windy City Ghosts. https://windycityghosts.com/hauntings-at-the-golden-dagger/