Illinois' Haunted Route 66

Haunted America

by Janice Tremeear Pestana

Route 66 is no longer the main thoroughfare between Chicago and St. Louis, but if local lore is to be believed, ghostly traffic along the Mother Road continues unabated. Janice Tremeear chases down accounts of a man executed for witchcraft, the demon baby of Hull House and the secrets of H.H. Holmes's Murder Castle." Native American legends place the piasa bird in the skies above the highway's southern stretch with the same insistence that characterize contemporary UFO sightings in the north. In between, spirits such as Resurrection Mary join the throng of hapless souls wandering the roadside of the Prairie State's most famous byway."

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Ghosts, Ghost Stories

112 pages, Paperback

First published September 24, 2013

Reviews

[Gail · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can’t even finish this. I’m 40% through and we haven’t talked about ghosts of Route 66 yet. It’s a bunch of filler about the history of Chicago, the great fire, and different ghosts of the Chicago area. Reads like a high school essay with a page count, where things are restated over and over to make the document longer.

[Lisa Kizer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many interesting story of Illinois history, well write with only brief mentions of haunting. Half way through I remembered that this book was supposed to be about haunting. I liked the historical background given of the towns so I really wasn’t too disappointed.

[Tim Shepard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay

There's some decent haunting information but in most cases it's very basic at best. Anyone can claim a location is haunted and it takes more than cold spots and footsteps to prove it. I like the way it organized (for the most part). Could have had so much part descriptions of the hauntings and locations.

[Laurie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is basically a book about haunted Chicago locations. Any connection to Route 66 is minimal. There are plenty of stories to keep your attention. Some felt like they lacked detail or seemed to be inaccurate. If you are looking for something with historical content about Route 66, there are probably better books to read.

[William Hubbartt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up in part because Rt 66 ran by about a mile from my house when I lived in central Illinois. It is a collection of stories with a bit of history, and a bit paranormal referencing various towns and areas along the original Rt 66 route. An enjoyable read.

[Dixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

very interesting

[Ray Perdue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some interesting stories, some quackery, but thanks to several blatant historical inaccuracies this one gets a low score.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of interesting hauntings. I already knew about many, especially the Chicago accounts. Will have to check out these spots in the near future.

[Amy Webster-Bo · Rating 2 out of 5]

too much crap about shitcago (chicago), for my taste, should have had more about the other area's as well, their is alot more to illinois then the north half, so i was pretty bored, cause i dont have any interest in those areas