About the Program

From its inception, the Hull-House Settlement was a center of urban legends and supernatural stories, as Chicago’s neighborhoods kept alive whispers about its supposed unearthly inhabitants. For many, Chicago was a place of great hardship, plagued by a history of tragic events that left countless ghost stories in their wake, including those of Hull-House’s infamous Devil Baby and resident Lady in White. While they are spooky and fun, these stories stem from important conversations about religious beliefs and social norms, as well as the collective consciousness of the Hull-House neighborhood. They often highlight the struggles of new immigrants in the city and the gruesome conditions they faced due to capitalist exploitation.

 To close out the Halloween festivities, the Hull-House Museum will host our annual Halloween Open House. Visitors can see a tarot reader, enjoy silent films contemporary to Jane Addams, and hear some of the Hull-House settlement’s most haunted tales.