By Kathy Murray
Hull House was built by Charles Hull in 1856 and was turned into a welfare centre by Jane Addams in 1889. The ghost of the late Mrs. Hull made her first appearance not long after Addams moved in, but it wasn’t until 1913 that the Devil Baby made its debut.
HARMLESS HAUNTING…
Hull House, now a museum, is located in Chicago, Illinois, and was where Charles Hull’s wife took her last breath. That was in the last half of the 19th century, and ever since then, her footsteps can be heard roaming the second floor rooms and halls. She’s even been seen on numerous occasions. Back when people slept in the house, they would report seeing her at the foot of their beds. But Mrs. Hull didn’t attract people to the house like the Devil Baby would.
…UNTIL
The story goes that a very religious woman married a man who didn’t share her views. In fact, his views were quite the opposite. When their baby was born in 1913, the woman assumed that they were being punished for her husband’s lack of faith: the baby was born with scaly skin, cloven feet, pointed ears, a long tail and horns. Repulsed by this monster, the husband dropped the baby off at Hull House and never returned.
CONFINED
Ms. Addams took in the child, but simply couldn’t manage its horrid behaviour. Apparently, it would laugh maniacally and dance around, so she ended up keeping it in the attic. Word spread and in the first six weeks of it being there, hundreds of people flocked to Hull House, some from as far away as Wisconsin, to see the Devil Baby, as it was now being called. They were all turned away, but many claimed to have seen it staring at them from the attic window.
FATE
Along with the ghosts of the Devil Baby and Mrs. Hull, those of four monks have also been caught on film, hanging around the second floor of the house. As for the fate of the Devil Baby, it most likely died while still young, because to this day almost a century later, its grotesque little face can still be seen looking out of the window of Hull House’s attic.