THE STORY
Reported Haunting
The former Harpo Studios property stood where an armory once served as a temporary morgue for victims of the 1915 Eastland disaster. Employees reportedly encountered apparitions, unexplained footsteps, voices, cold spots, and other strange activity.
Before becoming the home of Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Studios, the property contained the Second Regiment Armory. After the SS Eastland capsized in the Chicago River on July 24, 1915, the armory was used as a temporary morgue for hundreds of victims. Harpo Studios employees later reported unusual occurrences including shadowy figures, apparitions dressed in older clothing, unexplained voices, footsteps in empty areas, cold spots, and equipment behaving strangely. Harpo Studios was demolished in 2016, and the property is now occupied by McDonald's corporate headquarters.