Country House

The house

The Country House ghost is not a colonial rumor. In 1974 a young woman with a child was refused service, drove off down 55th Street, and struck a tree. Chicago ghost hunter Richard Crowe later brought mediums who described a woman still looking for someone she had lost. Since a remodeling, staff have reported pounding in the walls, a baby that is not there, pots that travel, the scent of fresh flowers, and a figure in the upstairs windows who matches the old owner’s description. There have been only a handful of full sightings, and they all agree. It is one of the most investigated restaurants in Illinois, and it still serves hamburgers.

The Fire Burger is the house move. Eat in the bar, where the shutters once opened on their own. Chicagoland’s most convincing haunt is a burger joint. That is the point.

The Ghostly Gourmet