You'll Never Forget Your Visit To The Most Haunted Restaurant In Illinois
By Elizabeth Crozier|Published September 23, 2017
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Elizabeth Crozier
Author
An Illinois transplant who grew up and went to school in Indiana for 22 years, Elizabeth holds a BFA in creative writing and has enjoyed traveling across the country and parts of Europe. She has visited half of the states, as well as parts of Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean, and regularly travels home to the Hoosier State to see friends and family. With more than five years of writing experience, Elizabeth’s articles have been featured on several websites, and her poetry and short stories have been published in multiple literary journals.
We bet you didn’t know there was a haunted restaurant right here in Illinois. If ghosts give you nightmares, steer clear of this eatery. On the other hand, if you’re looking for more than just a meal, you’ll love this active place to dine.
Creepy presences won’t ruin a good meal at this fantastic place. Keep scrolling for all the details.
The Road House, located in Oregon, Illinois, has been around since 1919 and is currently both a museum and a haunted restaurant. The structure itself was built in the 1800s — likely during Abraham Lincoln's time.
Now for this haunted restaurant's tragic story. It is believed that the ghost who roams the grounds is a woman named Mary Jane Reed whose murder was never solved.
Mary worked as a telephone operator and was believed to be no more than 17 years of age at the time of her death, which likely took place in the restaurant, where she often liked to visit.
A psychic once noted that Mary was held against her will in the basement and that an older man caused her death.
Nowadays, current employees report seeing a woman who wanders around the front hallway late at night. Utensils fall and objects fly across the room in the kitchen.
There is also a room with a decorative mannequin that stays cold. The restaurant claims the mannequin showed up with a crack in its head in the same place Mary was allegedly injured. Additionally, the jukebox only plays one song over and over on occasion.
Other paranormal claims include one that a woman walked right through the construction site during renovations, and workers refused to work late shifts due to other strange occurrences. They, too, noted that the jukebox would play by itself after midnight.
In addition to tales of hauntings and possible ghost sightings, patrons enjoy a chicken buffet on Sundays as well as burgers, BBQ, and steaks plus other American classics the other days of operation. The beer, wine, and cocktail lists are always available.
