Navy Pier is popular with both locals and visitors from other cities. But, not long ago, Navy Pier was as desolate as a ghost town in the Old West.
Navy Pier is popular with both locals and visitors from other cities. Millions of people visit the pier each year. Its theaters, restaurants, arcades, stores, enormous Ferris wheel, gardens, and old-fashioned lemonade and ice cream kiosks are popular with visitors. Numerous people attend banquets and meetings at the huge ballroom at the pier’s terminus. Tour boats line the pier, taking visitors on short journeys on Lake Michigan.
A Deserted Navy Pier
But, not long ago, Navy Pier was as desolate as a ghost town in the Old West. There were no stores, music, or lights. Only a few fisherman spend their days fishing along the concrete walls of the pier. The pier’s structures, including its previous great ballroom, were mostly deserted. The ballroom used to be one of Chicago’s best, fanciest dance venues. The ballroom was closed down during WWII. The United States Navy utilized it as a training facility for aviation technicians.
During the war, the University of Illinois at Chicago utilized the ballroom as a gymnasium ballroom was utilized as a gymnasium by the University of Illinois at Chicago. As the school relocated to its new location a few miles away, the heat was shut off in the Navy Pier buildings. The elegance of the ballroom began to deteriorate as a result of Chicago’s harsh weather. The copper ceiling began to leak, and roof shingles began to fall in. Weeds started sprouting between the cracks of the lovely old dance floor before long. Security guards exacerbated the situation. They practiced shooting at the walls!
A Ghost in the Ballroom
A lone security guard went out on an usual walk to the far end of the pier one hot August night. The guard came to a halt at the pier’s end to stare out over Lake Michigan. The night air was quiet and there was little breeze. A few boats with people on board bounced up and down on the sea. The lighthouse’s beacon shined brightly from the bay. After a few moments of relaxation, the guard began his lengthy trek back to the security office at the front of the pier.
It was after two o’clock in the morning at that point. The guard made the decision to walk through the buildings. He double-checked that everything was secured and safe. When he entered the old ballroom, it took him a few seconds for his eyes to adapt to the darkness. He crossed the ancient wooden dance floor. He suddenly sensed someone approaching from behind, despite the fact that he hadn’t heard anything. He swung around, terrified, and reached for his revolver. There was no one there.
A very cold sensation rushed through the guard’s body as soon as he turned around! The guard was certain that a man, or rather the ghost of a man, had gone straight through him, as bizarre as it appeared. The guard, as terrified as he was, informed no one what had happened inside the ancient dance hall.
The guard returned to the ballroom with a friend a year later. This friend was gifted with psychic talents. She could perceive things that others could not. The guard hoped that his friend might interact with the ghost he’d felt on that hot August night.
The psychic immediately detected a ghostly presence! She believed the ballroom was haunted by the soul of a guy who had frequently gone dancing with his wife. The man was hoping his wife would die so she could be with him. They may then dance in the ballroom forever!
Nobody knows whether Navy Pier’s ballroom is still haunted today. It’s as lovely as ever these days, and often bustling with activity. It’s too loud and packed for anyone to detect any spirits that may still be lurking around. Take a trip to the far end of Navy Pier the next time you’re there. Peer through the enormous ballroom’s windows. Assume you see folks dressed up in fancy attire dancing the night away. Shut your eyes and try to hear the major bands’ sound. Then, shut them even more tightly. Perhaps you’ll sense someone else there—a man who liked to dance… and, finally, the lady he was looking for.