FALL HAS ARRIVED, the air is crisp, and the leaves have turned from green to red or orange. This is the perfect time of year to jump on a scooter and discover some of Westown’s most famous haunts. They’re all conveniently located on or just off of Wisconsin Avenue.
1.
Riverside Theater
116 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Rife with cold spots, disembodied footsteps and other supernatural activity, its most playful spirit is a former projectionist who died of a heart attack while working in the light room. It is believed that the spirit of the man remains in the room, turning stage lights on and off to the chagrin of current employees.
2.
The Rave/Eagles Club
2401 W. Wisconsin Ave.
A favorite spot for ghost hunters, this concert venue is famous for its hauntings. Both performers and patrons have reported paranormal experiences that include sightings of ghostly children (perhaps the same Children’s Hospital gang?) and objects being thrown from the roof by an otherworldly presence (or drunken rock stars).
3.
St. Joan of Arc Chapel, Marquette University
Enter through the courtyard at 14th Street, by the library
Believed to have been built in France around 1420, the Gothic-style church contains a stone relic attributed to the martyred St. Joan. The stone touched by the saint, now part of the wall behind the altar, is said to be noticeably colder than all the stones around it.
4.
The Pabst Mansion
2000 W. Wisconsin Ave.
It’s said that Captain Frederick Pabst still lingers in the celebrated mansion where he died in 1904. He is known to keep a watchful eye over the house, overseeing those who work there.
5.
Humphrey Hall, Marquette University
1716 W. Wisconsin Ave.
The location of Children’s Hospital from 1923-88, the building housed a morgue when the university acquired it. Its former residents supposedly make themselves known – small bands of ghostly children are seen and heard all over the building.
6.
Ambassador Hotel
2308 W. Wisconsin Ave.
This art deco darling has a macabre history. In 1987, serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer committed the second of his 17 murders in a room on the fifth floor.
