Earlier this month, we brought you our list of Mysterious Heartland’s most popular top 10 lists, the most well-read of which has attracted nearly 200,000 views. Sadly, over the past four years we have published many top 10 lists that, for whatever reason, haven’t attracted much interest. It is perplexing because these include some of our more interesting subjects. In a desperate attempt to draw your attention to these lists, we bring you Mysterious Heartland’s Least Popular Top 10 Lists! Which one is your favorite?
10. Top 10 Most Haunted Bars & Pubs in Illinois
Views: 9,850+
With the ongoing popularity of drinking alcoholic beverages, we thought this list would strike a chord with our readers. Strangely, reading about bars and pubs has never attracted as much interest as actually visiting them. Still, if you would like to plan a night out at one of these establishments, we highly recommend reading this list first. Who knows, you might have an unwanted figure join your night of revelry, and we don’t mean that creepy guy at the bar! Description: At Mysterious Heartland, we have patronized many drinking establishments in the course of our travels to mysterious places all over the Prairie State. However, sometimes the pub is our destination, since there are many said to contain “spirits” of a different nature. Which one will prove to be the most haunted of them all? [Click here to read this top 10 list!]
9. Top 8 UFO Encounters in Illinois
Views: 7,090+
Though technically not a “top 10″ list, this list of UFO cases in Illinois never really took off with our readers. Interest in UFOs, it seems, has never really recovered since X-Files went off the air. Description: The recent case of mistaken identity that led to claims of a UFO over Chicago piqued our interest at Mysterious Heartland, so we called in John Stephenson, our resident UFO expert, to tell us and our readers about some of the most famous UFO sightings in Illinois. What he came back with was the following list of the top eight close-encounters over the Prairie State! Which one will prove to be the most compelling evidence of alien visitation? [Click here to read this top 10 list!]
8. Top 10 Creepiest Woods and Parks in Illinois
Views: 5,900+
Thanks to the threat of being arrested for trespassing, there aren’t very many haunted places you can actually visit without having to get permission from someone. That is one reason we thought this list of haunted woods and parks would be of interest to our readers. Sadly, most people seem to prefer to visit these places for more wholesome activities, like bike riding or “spending time with your family.” Description: Tourist season is in full swing in Illinois, and so we at Mysterious Heartland have prepared a list of some of the most unusual places you can visit in the great outdoors. While these are all nice places to experience nature, you may also encounter something of the supernatural variety. Be warned, however, some of these places hide very real dangers, not the least of which include hazardous terrain. So never visit them alone! [Click here to read this top 10 list!]
7. Top 10 Most Haunted Bridges in Illinois
Views: 5,780+
Let’s face it, there isn’t a lot of variety when it comes to haunted bridges. There are only so many times you can spread baby powder on the bumper of your car before your friends start writing “wash me” on it with their fingers. Still, we thought this list included all the more interesting haunted bridges in Illinois. Our readers, however, didn’t seem to think so. Description: Sometimes perilous and almost always remote, rural bridges have long been a staple of local ghostlore. They are places where ghosts of long-forgotten accidents still roam and phantom voices cry out from the water below. At Mysterious Heartland, we have visited allegedly haunted bridges all over the State of Illinois, but which one will prove to be the most haunted? [Click here to read this top 10 list!]
6. Top 10 Old-Timey Ghost Stories in Illinois
Views: 5,700+
As an amateur historian, I really enjoyed researching and writing this list of 19th Century Illinois ghost stories. I was disappointed to find out that our readers did not share my interest. Description: With all the recent popularity of haunted houses, paranormal investigation, and legend tripping, it is easy to forget that ghost stories have been told for as long as human beings have walked the earth. Here in Illinois, the love of a good ghost story was alive and well in the 1800s and early 1900s, and some of our best tales come from that bygone era. Which one will prove to be the most timeless? [Click here to read this top 10 list!]
5. Top 10 Most Haunted Theaters in Illinois
Views: 5,500+
As anyone familiar with ghostlore knows, every theater in existence is believed to be haunted. How do you cut the wheat from the chaff and determine which ones are the most interesting? We attempted to do just that in this top 10 list of haunted theaters. Unfortunately, our hard work did not pay off and this list never attracted much attention. Description: As any fan of ghostlore knows, nearly every theater in Illinois is thought to have a resident ghost or two, but what are some of the eeriest and most interesting of them all? Mysterious Heartland is here to bring you the history and the ghost stories behind some of Illinois’ most notorious haunted theaters! [Click here to read this top 10 list!]
4. Top 10 Most Haunted Restaurants in Illinois
Views: 4,550+
One day, we asked ourselves, wouldn’t it be cool to have a phantom encounter interrupt a nice dinner out on the town? Upon reflection we decided that it wouldn’t be, and so did our readers, who stayed away from this top 10 list. Description: With hundreds of customers coming in and out every day, it would not surprise Mysterious Heartland if a restaurant turned out to have a ghost or two. Some of these specters are content to simply observe the hustle and bustle, while others are much more “hands on.” Illinoisans have certainly had their share of strange encounters while dining out. Which of these restaurants will prove to be the most haunted of them all? [Click here to read this top 10 list!]
3. Top 10 Most Religious Ghosts in Illinois
Views: 2,600+
Admittedly, this top 10 list was a variation on our list of top 10 most haunted churches in Illinois, but we thought it would be interesting none the less. Sadly, few people seemed to think our stories of phantom holy figures were very compelling. Description:It is said there are many reasons spirits of the departed refuse to pass from this world into the next. Some may have been so religiously devoted in life that they do not want to abandon the people and places they love. At Mysterious Heartland, we have found examples of some of the most religious ghosts in Illinois. But which ones will prove to be the most haunting? [Click here to read this top 10 list!]
2. Top 10 Most Tragic Disasters in Illinois
Views: 1,850+
This was probably the most depressing top 10 list we ever wrote, causing our readers to avoid it at all costs. Still, if you are interested in history, you may enjoy this look at historic disasters. Description: As we at Mysterious Heartland know, the State of Illinois has a rich history, and unfortunately, it has also been the scene of many of the worst disasters in American history. While many of these disasters have informed our tapestry of legends and ghost stories, we also must never forget the pain of the victims or the heroism of the first responders. Join us as we look at the top 10 most tragic disasters in Illinois. [Click here to read this top 10 list!]
1. Top 10 Creepiest Abandoned Places in the Midwest
Views: 970+
The unpopularity of this top 10 list is truly perplexing, considering our list of creepiest abandoned places in Illinois is one of our all-time most popular. In our humble opinion, this list contains some of the most interesting haunted places in the Midwest. It would be a shame to miss it. Description: At Mysterious Heartland, we spend a lot of time crawling around the ruins of some of the most notorious abandoned hospitals, mansions, and schools in the Midwest. With their dark corridors, crumbling walls, and strange echoes, any one of them can be shiver-inducing, but which are the scariest? After much debate, we are happy to bring you the top 10 creepiest abandoned places in the Midwest! [Click here to read this top 10 list!]
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Check out these places and more in Michael Kleen’s Haunting Illinois: A Tourist’s Guide to the Weird and Wild Places of the Prairie State! Three years in the making, the 3rd edition of Hunting Illinois is your ticket to adventure in your own backyard. This edition contains 60 new listings and 35 new pictures, for a total of 260 haunted or mysterious locations and more than 120 photos and illustrations. Divided into eight distinct regions and listed by county and town or neighborhood, each location features a description, directions, and sources from a wide variety of books, articles, and websites. Haunting Illinois challenges you to get off the couch and start exploring our wonderful State of Illinois. Go here to order!
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