Comment: Ok the person who wrote the whole thing about the asylum on rainbow road has obviously been lied too. My best friend lives right off of middlefork and his property backs up to the supposed insane asylum. I have been in there and it was never an asylum. The were no electric chairs in there. Yes there is graffiti. And as far as the screams go. It was probably us messing around at my friends house where we constantly had parties. The actual house that was there is gone and a new subdivision of really nice houses is being built. The old house was rumored to be a mob hideout. No one has ever died there. It sounds to me like older brothers and sisters have either lied to you or been lied to themselves. But to the person who said their brother saw electric chairs. No he hasn't. It was an old house that had been torn down over a year ago. --Andrew J. Kay

Response from Slim Pictures: Andrew, I was going to post your message in its entiriety on the site, until it got unreasonably abrasive (some of his comments were deleted). For some reason there are urban legends about the site being an institution - obviously it was not. Part of the goals of this site is to set the record straight on the various haunted locations across Chicagoland. Keeping with the goal of setting the record straight is that there actually was a death at the house. A 7 year-old boy died there in 1968. The article, republished from the Chicago Tribune, is posted on the site - look at the 12/29/04 submission further down this page.
Regardless of your feelings of the validity of the paranormal (do ghosts exist or not), it is definately facinating to observe how many people are interested in learning about this specific plot of land, and it's interesting to see how urban legends spread and transform over time. However, I have spoken with too many credible people who claim to have had first-hand accounts to fully discount every possibility that there is something going on.
To end in agreement of your main point - the location on Rainbow Road was never an asylum, and however claimed that they found electric chairs there was either lying or mistaken.

Story: My friend and I were going to White Cemetery on Cuba Road. Our goal was to find these appartitions, and entities. We wanted to bring our ouija board into the cemetery and play it in there (sounds a little insane, right?). We got confused on where the cemetery was, and then passed by it, noticing that it was a small cemetery to our right. Furthermore, we passed it three times trying to find parking, not knowing that we had to park on the grass on the side of the road. So, as we were heading further East past the cemetery, we noticed a hill. As we were driving up this hill we saw a light. Approximately five seconds later the light disappeared. We were thinking to ourselves "Oh boy, the phantom car (In a sarcastic tone)." Seconds later, we saw the light again in clear view at least 200 feet away. About three seconds later the light went away again. Then approximately two seconds later a car with its lights turned on drove past us. I am not sure what the road was where Cuba Road ended going east (I believe it's Route 53), but we turned around and went back towards Cuba Road heading west. As we still could not find parking we noticed that a random car showed up at least 200 feet away with its lights on. We turned into a "No Outlet" driveway and planned to go back to the cemetery to find another place to park. Then, all of a sudden, this car from 200 feet away suddenly follows us into the "No outlet" driveway and goes in the same direction as we are by making a left, again heading east on Cuba Road. Then we start to get a little rattled, because even when we were a matter of inches away from the car in the "No Outlet" driveway, we couldnt' even get a clear view of the car itself! Or the driver! When we hit traffic on Cuba Road, the car seems to have ridiculously disappeared. So we were driving, couldn't find parking again, the traffic clears up, and all of a sudden, the car is behind us again - the same one. (we knew this because the only thing we could catch on the car was its light style). We started to get worried now. So then, we continue to drive east, the car is still following us. All of a sudden, the car turns off its lights for 10 seconds. We don't see the car anymore. 10 Seconds later, the car turns on its lights. (Our hearts are pounding, and we still can't even get a view of the car!!!) Another few seconds go by, the car's lights turn out again. And then once again, turns on its lights again. The worst part was, when we were speeding off into route 53 to get the heck out of Cuba Road, that car stopped right at Cuba Road and turned around, we looked back, it disappeared... We even drove back on to Cuba Road just to get back home, no sign of the car... Thank you for hearing our story... We will inform you on anything else happening with that road. --Sam, and Jeff.

Response from Slim Pictures: It's been a while now, so I'm guessing you haven't gone back or experienced anything new. Going East, you're probably talking about 59, not route 53. Very interesting story. I've heard many similar, but none this persistant. My first bit of advice is to look for a logical possability. In this case, I'd ask a friend or two if someone may have been messing around with you (hence the turning on and off of the headlights). if you're going to do some ghost research, I always feel it's better to do so in the daylight hours. 1) You wouldn't be breaking any laws regarding tresspassing, but also 2) whatever you may end up seeing, it would be the real deal. Your eyes will be playing fewer tricks on you in the light of day.

Questions: I emailed you several times last year about your book and you were very kind to send it quickly to me. I now use that as my bible of haunted locations.
All summer long I have been doing extensive archaeological work up and down the Des Plaines area and have found many sites at Robinson. I have the precise location of the Boettcher house (with many artifacts) and two locations for both of Robinson's daughter's houses. I have even met people who knew the Boettcher's personally. This not only helps with the archaeology of the area but helps with the ghost hunting as well. I am hoping that next week brings promising pictures.

I have several questions this year regarding several of the locations. How far along are they with the development of the Rainbow Road house site? I saw the pictures on your site and I am guessing that people should be living in their new houses by now. What a shame! It was a favorite hunting ground for me.
Has anyone ever caught any apparitions at the White's Cemetery location?
Will you be updating your site with updated stories?
Does anyone live in the Stickney mansion? Who could we contact to do an investigation? Have you or anyone that you know ever been inside and recorded or photographed anything? I have looked on the internet and can find nothing but the same story over and over.
My last question is about The Unknown World website and their cable show. Is it still being aired? I live in Chicago and cannot find it anywhere on my Comcast.
Thank you for your time and help and keep up the good work on your end! Thanks --Dan Melone

Response from Slim Pictures: Dan, long time no talk. Sorry about being as ghostly as the stories I write about. I travel quite a bit. I will, however, be in Illinois until the end of January. I found your eMail in which you talk about finding several interesting foundations. I finally photographed some old, somewhat hard to find foundations of a haunted site known as "the Gate," in Libertyville, IL. I would love to see the foundations you've found at Robinson Woods. I've visited the location a lot over the past few months. While I can't say that I've specifically made it a mission to seek out the foundations, I didn think that I'd stumble across it eventually, but haven't yet. If you want to meet up and explore the area soon, let me know.
To answer your other long overdue questions:
* Check out a pretty up-to-date video about the House on Rainbow Road here: slimpictures.com/3ghoststories.htm Though the house is gone and new houses are currently going up in the area, I still think it's a fairly interesting site for ghost research - the actual location where the house was, isn't being built upon (at least not yet).
* As for apparitions at White Cemetery - there are many orbs and mists on film, but I've never heard of any full figure apparitions on film (some pictures have been submitted to me claiming to be of figures, but nothing really solid. I also haven't heard of any interesting video being shot there.
* After a long time away, I've finally been updating my site with stories submitted from readers. I've also made a few small videos with fellow author Mary Czerwinski. I plan to use the web site to further update the book. (it'll all be under slimpictures.com/ghoststories.htm
* Bull Valley uses the Stickney House. No one lives in it. You won't get a chance to officially do an investigation. The best chance you'll have to do anything with permission is by posing as a regular passer-by who has heard the story and would like to look around (very casual). If there happens to be an officer there alone, they may open up a bit, however, they're not actually allowed to. I've been in the front reception room/office. I don't know anyone who's made it further than that. Let me know if you make any progress.
* To the best of my knowledge, "The Unknown World" is still on the air, though I cannot get it either. I've even been a guest on the show once, but never got a copy of the show. Fortunately, they have posted a few videos on YouTube (www.youtube.com/profile?user=MagickTv). Unfortunately, many of the videos aren't about haunted locations and are more about religious rituals - also, the quality is pretty poor.

Please feel free to send any pictures you'd like to share with the wolrd and I'll post them on the site with credit going to you.

I hope to hear back from you soon, but good luck with everything. Also, the compliment that you use my book as your "bible of haunted locations" means the world to me. Thanks a ton!

Story: Scott, on November 25,2006 I went to Cuba Road with my older sister and her friend. I live in Glenview, IL, and so does my sister who went with us. Her friend lived in Barrington but is now in college. They both have seen the 7 year old boy who died from the "bird bath incident" and they said that he was wearing a torn up red shirt and overalls and was leaning against a telephone pole, chuckling, or giggling and smiling at them. Creepy. He was seen at that street corner where there is a stop sign, telephone pole, and a fence to a nice horse farm. As you can see there are several orbs around there. I have never seen the boy or any other ghost there, but they both remember him vividly.

Also, one of my close friends who lives in a nice neighborhood in Lake Zurich that is about 2 miles away from Rainbow road has entered the old asylum with his older brother, who is my sisters boy friend. They said that when they entered it there was graffiti everywhere, electric chairs, and a few padded rooms. On the walk through the woods to there they heard high pitched screams and buzzing sounds (maybe an electric chair and someone screaming from the pain of it?) They also felt very trembly and weak.

so tons of orbs floating around. We closed the window because it was cold out(its late fall) and i took another picture of the field with the window closed and i got this: WARNING: somewhat disturbing.

I will tell you that is definately NOT my eye. I have blue eyes and i do not have any scratches on my face. So it couldnt be a reflection. Nor could it be anything on the car because we went through a car wash on the way there so that the windows wouldnt fool us in our pictures. Also if you look, the eye is all one color, that rusty brownish color. No pupils or whites of its eyes.It also looks wrinkly, maybe an old lady or something. At the bottom of the picture there is a rainbow looking orb. Im jumping to suspicions, but maybe its called Rainbow Road b/c some rainbow looking orbs were spotted around there.. im probably wrong though i tend to jump to suspicions!

Thats it for all of my pictures! but also, since i went there the first time i ever did, which was in June of 2006 i believe, whenever i take pictures in mine or my sisters room, there are usually 2 or 3 orbs.
Sorrry we're a little strange and ake alot of funny pics.

Orb on top right corner, closet door, and tiny one on room door towards the bottom.
Thats the one picture where you can see all 3 orbs. i still look for more orbs in the pics b/c sometimes they are hard to see because my walls are a lighter color.
I also made a youtube video of all the pictures i took on rainbow road (i only sent you the best ones ) so here it is!! -Kathryn
My question: Have you ever been to the asylum? inside it?

Story: Just found your site and spend a couple hours reading it. I grew up Near the area and live and work right next to Lake Zurich. I remember going to Cuba road and the surrounding area when I was in High school as something to do on Halloween. This is around 1990 so it has been quite a while.

The story was that there was some type of asylum or monastery with a cemetery on Cuba near Rainbow Rd so a group of us (20 or so) headed there from Arlington Heights to drink in the cemetery or whatever we could find. We found the cemetery and checked it out but took off when it sounded like there was someone watching us going from just outside the back fence. We figured that we were all just freaked out and didn't think much of it but the girls in the group weren't big fans of the cemetery so we wandered around until we found an old deserted road. We headed headed down there and found a couple of old foundations maybe 500 feet from where we parked the cars. The buildings were leveled with a pond and a barn near it. We were all freaked out but what was really weird was that there were reminisces of things you would find in a house still scattered around I don't remember it there were any signs of the place being burnt but I was uneasy about where I was. I always just wrote that off as the night and the legend, I am second guess that now. Anyway, the cops showed up not long after we got there and we ditched the beer and headed out to our cars. The were and they were stern but cool as they checked us out and told us to take off.

What we were looking for was a good scare and we found it. We probably didn't find the house that your research covers but reading about the area all these years kind of freaks me out. I'm going to go down Rainbow Road on my way home. It really isn't out of the way at all. We'll just see how that goes. Regards, Jeff Rosinski

Story: Hello Scott, this is actually the first time I have stumbled upon your page. I am from Lake Zurich. Lived there all my life 'til I went away to school. My parents still live there. I currently live in Kalamazoo and if you ever get a chance you should really look into it cause it is an amazing place to search for what some call ghosts. I like to think of them as spirts but I suppose that is the same thing. Anyway to the point. My family is from the area and I can tell you that the house with the gates on Rainbow Road is a house owned by Capone. He used it for business meetings and as a hide out. If you go into the town center in LZ you can actually look up articles from the very start of LZ and find deeds for common knowledge. I also happened to know some people who lived in LZ when it first became a town and when i was little i would sit and listen for hours to the stories of the area. It is believed that there were many people killed at this estate. I remember when I was in high school i wanted to check the place out. Not so much as a way to see ghosts but as a way to see a part of history since i love the story of Capone. I went with two friends and on the road when we got to the house i slowed down. I did not think it was too great since all i could see was the gate. I did not dare go in because for one i knew that the cops had this place heavily gaurded mostly cause the town has alot of teen vandels probably due to lack of things to do at night, and two if i got caught there my dad would have killed me for being there when I was supposed to be at a friends house. As we were pulling away a car came from around a corner with no lights on and got on my tail. It then turned on its lights and flashed them on and off until we got to RT 22. It was a old car looked like it was from the 20's and it dissappeared as soon as we hit the main road. I remember being really scared. Some friends think it is just people in the area trying to scare the ghost seekers but they were not there. They did not see it. I live a mile away from Cuba Road, and I have friends that live by White Cemetery. It has always been really creepy to go past there at night. In the day I have not really experienced anything. My favorite story is of the girl that hung herself on a tree there. That she appears in the road. Oh and the spot where you can get hand prints on your car. I have yet to do that. I actually work with a woman who heard of Cuba Road and she was so excited to hear that I lived near it.

I actually believe that my parents house is haunted. My stepmom died in there and not in a glamorus way. No not murdered but some strange things have happened there. But I suppose it could just be my imagination. If you ever want to hear about that or how before she died I knew exactly how it would happen in a dream I had, I would love to share it. But I thought I would share my knowledge of Rainbow Road. It is too bad they are turning it into a development now. Thanks for your time. --Elizabeth

Response from Slim Pictures:  Elizabeth, I have to say, the most facinating part of your eMail revolves around your dream and your stepmother. Please do pass it along to us. I'm sure many of us would like to hear more. This whole area is full of lore and it really is remarkable how many stories come out of Cuba Road. I will have to point out that one of the stories you heard about is from a vary famous urban legend (you wrote, "My favorite story is of the girl that hung herself on a tree...and the spot where you can get hand prints on your car"). The legend I've always heard takes place in Texas, though, according to Barbara Mikkelson of Snopes.com, the actual event took place in Utah in 1938. Rather than reinvent the wheel, check out the real story (no ghosts after all) at: http://www.snopes.com/horrors/ghosts/handprint.asp

Elizabeth Writes back: I would love to share what happened in my dream. When I was 10 I went away to a summer camp. My mother died on a Wednesday before I was to come home on Saturday. The day she died, I was mad at her because all the kids there were getting care packages and I had not gotten one yet. Of course I was being stupid and it came that day.

I talked to her on the phone, thanked her and thought nothing of it. That night I had a dream of her dieing. I dreamt that she collapsed in the bathroom and my sister was there screaming. I woke up screaming. The counsler had to come in and check on me. I went home with a girl who was my best friend at the time. I knew something was wrong when my dad dropped her off at her house and left her mom with a note that told her not to read it before we left. We drove the two blocks to my house and my dad was very quiet. We got to the driveway and all my relatives were over. My first reaction was my dad suprised me with a party, but he had me go around to the back yard to talk to me.

He told me that my mother died. I knew it was coming. My dad told me part of the story and I knew it was not right. It was only when I was older that I was told the truth of what happened. I told my dad that I knew because I dreamt. it.

A year after my stepmother died I was sleeping in my room when I suddenly heard my mother's radio go off. It was blasting. I knocked on my sister's door and asked if she had turned it on. She had not, so we went and took a look at it. Not only was it not turned on but it didn't have batteries in it either. We tried pressing buttons to shut it off but we could not do it. As we thought about what to do, it just shut off.

I tried to go back to sleep and my sister went back to her room. I finally fell back to sleep. Then I woke up freezing. I saw a white figure leave the room and walk down the hall. By this time I got so scared that I start to cry and I woke up my dad. Nothing happened at the house for quite a while after that night. My dad has since remarried and my new mother is convinced that the house has spirits. I do not live with them anymore but I do spend all the holidays there and this thanksgiving the weirdest thing happened.

We were all sitting down to eat dinner when a music box my mom has in the kitchen went off. We all went dead silent and looked at each other. My mom then said looks like one of the spirts is with us now.

My mom's death was the first one that I had a dream about but I have had other dreams that have come true. It got to a point where I had to take sleeping pills so I could go to sleep and not dream about someone dieing or getting seriously injured. I was so scared that someone else would be in my dreams. I am much better about it now, but I have been dealing with it for years. It is weird, I don't know how to explain it and most my friends think it is freaky. But some think it is my gift or perhaps my curse.

I like to hope that one day it will help someone not get hurt or die and I also like to think that my mothers are with me. I think it is all fascinating. I love what you do and I hope you keep it up.

Reader Submission: The owner was arrested and imprisioned quickly. He was in the Mob. Nothing more exciting. The house on Cuba, off the end of Rainbow, was torn down in the 70’s. White cemetery, one day my family will haunt as we own plots there. Boo. --Linda Kraus