The Red Lion Pub

The Red Lion Pub building was originally built in 1882, on the Northern outskirts of Chicago, surrounded by farms and countryside. The city grew up around the building, and the neighborhood became a traditionally rough part of town. John Dillinger saw his last movie in the Biograh Theater, located across the street from The Red Lion, before he was gunned down by the G- men, right outside the theater. Al Capone and his thugs hung out in this neighborhood during Prohibition. In the 1940's, Red Lion Inn building was a "Wild West-type" saloon, that respectable people stayed out of. It was described as a real dump, and the second floor housed a flourishing bookie joint, actively involved in the illegal gambling industry. The third floor was always used as apartments, until recently when they became an over flow storage area. Throughout the years, various businesses came and went, such as a produce store, a laundry facility, and a nick - knack / novelty shop. The building was rescued from disrepair by a well-known Chicago architect, John Cordwell, an Englishman who thought it might be fun to renovate it into an old English Pub, as a hobby. John, his wife, and his two sons ran the place now as a side business.

John Cordwell as since passed on, but his sons and wife still run the pub as a side business

Paranormal Claims

• An apparition of an “unshaven, young man in his twenties, wearing western clothes and cowboy boots” was seen in the upstairs dining room.
• An apparition of a man with a beard, black hair, and wearing a black hat has been seen.
• An apparition of a blond “Slavic-looking” man has been seen.
• A cricket bat that had been hanging on the wall as a display had been taken off the wall and thrown across the room.
• An apparition of a woman, “wearing clothes and sporting the grooming style typical of women making a fashion statement, who lived during the 1920's” has been seen.
• The second floor ladies room door has been held shut for 15 to 20 minutes, before all of a sudden it pops open without a problem.
• In the second floor dining room, many are treated to an overwhelming smell of lavender perfume.
• John Cordwell, his pianist, and other people have experienced a friendly tap on the shoulder, when no live human being was there.
• People passing by the stained glass window have all of a sudden had dizzy spells. At the end of the upstairs bar, right by the stairs, is the exact spot where people have had the experience of feeling dizzy all of a sudden.
• John Cordwell has felt the strong presence of his father on the second floor.
• Several people have felt their throats constricting so they couldn't breathe for just a moment in the dining area.

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