The Excaliber nightclub, located at 632 N. Dearborn is believed to be haunted. The rumor is that the building was used as a morgue for the Eastland Disaster victims in 1915. However, Russell Lewis of the Chicago History Museum – who said the building once housed the Chicago Cultural Center until it moved in 1932—busted that myth by saying that the building was not used as a morgue. Two temporary morgues were set up. One was at the Reid-Murdoch building and the other was the Second Illinois Refinement Armory building which looked very similar to the Ontario Street building.
It seems it is the site that is haunted, rather than the building that exists on it.
Lewis remarks, “That building also burned down during the Great Chicago Fire,” Lewis said. “It’s possible that during that fire, somebody got trapped in that building and died.” Even though the original Chicago Historical Society building burned down during the Great Chicago Fire, a replacement wasn’t built till 1877. However, this building was torn down to make way for the current 80-foot high building, which was designed by Henry Ives Cobb. The construction began on 12 August 1892. In other words, there were two structures built since 1871 on this site.
Chicago paranormal expert Chris Fleming said earlier this year that Excalibur is crawling with spirits and ghosts. Fleming filmed at the club for his show on the Biography Channel, “Dead Famous: Ghostly Encounters.”
“When we were filming at Excalibur, I was walking through the storage room and a cup was thrown off the shelf behind me,” Fleming remarked in April. “We watched the tape over again, and no one in the room had moved. It just came out of nowhere. When things like that happen, it’s really exciting.”
Cheers
Terry Gregory
Chicagologist
Source: Chicago Tribune
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