We mapped out the recurrent hauntings in Chicago and its surrounding counties to test if ley lines exist. We did find 3 ley lines where hauntings cluster. Jake would like to note that all the lines follow a major body of water.

3 Ley Lines Cross The Chicagoland Area

Red line – follows the Des Plaines River

Green line – follows the Chicago River north branch

Purple line – follows the Lake Michigan coastline

In our case, it looks like a large body of water is the link to hauntings vs. a magical or spiritual energy line. It also appears the ley lines converge on the spot where the Chicago River flows into Lake Michigan. Most ghost hunters agree hauntings are more likely near large bodies of water. Even some of the outliers (Antioch, Manteno and Crete) are on streams, ponds and lakes.

Update (Jan. 18, 2016): Many readers asked how we made the map and what resources we used to do it. There’s nothing special about our technique. We used Google Maps to put the addresses of well-known haunted sites in Chicagoland. Next, we looked at where the hauntings clustered and drew a line though them. That’s what gave us the 3 lines in the map.

This type of exercise helps you determine if a location could be haunted. If it’s on a ley line, then there’s a greater chance of it being haunted.

As for the haunted locations, we used the following books to find them:

• “The Ghosts of Chicago” by Adam Selzer
• “Haunting Illinois” by Michael Kleen
• “Chicago Haunted Handbook” by Jeff Morris and Vince Shields
• “Ley Lines for Ghost Hunters” by Fiona Broome (out-of-print, but new edition due in 2016)

That’s the scoop for now.

Last updated on April 7, 2025 by Jacob Rice