The mystery of the ghostly handprint

Oct. 31, 2012
For Halloween, the story of a tragic West Side fire--and its mysterious aftermath.

The quest for Peabody's Tomb

Jul. 10, 2012
On August 27, 1922 Francis S. Peabody suffered a heart attack and died. Though nobody realized it at the time, he had just taken the first step to becoming a Chicago legend.

The great escape

Dec. 12, 2011
The dignified old building hulking over Hubbard Street at Dearborn was once the Cook County Criminal Court. It also contained the county jail, and that's the setting for our story.Tommy O'Connor was a young punk who specialized in armed robbery in the Maxwell Street area.

Chicago's favorite ghost: Resurrection Mary

Oct. 31, 2011
I first heard the story at one of the Duke's Halloween parties. That would make it when I was in college, in the late 'sixties.The way the Duke told it, this guy he knew had been driving north on Milwaukee Avenue near Lawrence, by the Holiday Ballroom.

The Cider House and the Great Fire

Jul. 19, 2011
Chicago history is more than just a fire. But sooner or later, there's bound to be a story of the Great Conflagration of 1871. The house at 2121 North Hudson Avenue is at the center of this tale.The Chicago Fire started on the Near South Side.