I’ve long been a fan of all things European, mostly, I think, due to the ghosts of its long history.
To my Romantic sensibilities, Europe is still ‘olde Europe’, a land steeped in candlelight and thatched roofs, inns and pubs, legends and myths. Give me the gothic and the eerie overtones of its landscapes, castles, ruins, and medieval villages, and you’ll find me a happy man.
But getting to Europe is a little difficult currently…
So tip me off to a rustic European inn or pub within driving distance, throw in a few ghosts and hauntings, and I’m there.
The Red Lion Pub, located in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, has long been on my list of haunted places to visit. My daughter currently lives in the city, so I’m up there more often and finally had the chance to visit this piece of Olde World England tucked in the middle of the modern city.
On the outside, the Red Lion Pub looks inviting, but it lacks the charm and appeal of a corner pub packed with baskets of ivy and flowing flowers. Inside, however, you step into enchantment. Recently renovated by second-generation owner Colin Cordwell, the pub does have a modern touch, but Cordwell retained the dark oak and Tudor beams traditionally associated with English pubs. He added yards of packed bookshelves, making it feel even more homey and authentic.
The draught beer selections are decidedly European, with selections from England, Germany, Belgium, and more. European liquor is abundant, and the menu consists of traditional fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, and a few varieties of what looked like mouth-watering burgers made from high-quality D’Artagnan beef. The weekend I was there, the Sunday special was a traditional English pot roast with all the vegetables.
I should have gone back.
I should have had a meal. I didn’t, but I did imbibe in a few pints of Old Speckled Hen (a lusciously light-brown pub ale that pours like a Guinness) and a London Pride pale ale. My wife ultimately ordered the pretzel, which came slathered with baked-on mustard and homemade beer cheese, both mind-blowing–and I’m not even a big pretzel guy.
It occurred to us then, that the place was quiet. No traditional music topped off the atmosphere.
No music at all, actually. None.
A few TV’s broadcasted, you guessed it, soccer matches, but that was it. We asked the bartender, an Englishman with a pate and glasses, about the lack of music. The quiet, he replied, was a directive of the owner. Cordwell insisted a pub should be a place for conversation, a place “to talk about ideas” without distraction.
I turned to the end of the bar. An older man with glasses pushed to the end of his nose sat quietly nursing a half-pint of Guinness, lost in a thick, hard-covered book.
A quiet place to have a pint, to talk about ideas. To read. I decided I never wanted to leave.
Obviously, the spirits felt the same.
Stories suggest that John Cordwell, the original owner and builder of the pub, was drinking coffee across the street near the Biograph Theater, outside of which government men gunned down notorious gangster John Dillinger.
The elder Coldwell spied a bar across the street–the dingy, rat-infested, house of ill-repute known as Dirty Dan’s Western Saloon, which Cordwell would ultimately transform into the Red Lion.
Many of the Red Lion’s seven spiritual guests seem to have come from Dirty Dan’s. The spirit of a cowboy, who allegedly died on the premises under suspicious but unclear circumstances, reportedly tends to walk right across the bar.
Also spawning from the area’s seedier times are the spirits of a man who had failed to repay a local bookie as well as the hitman hired to murder him.
The more recent death of a woman who died of an epileptic seizure near the bar appears responsible for sightings of a woman who smells strongly of lavender perfume. According to sources, this woman is often encountered on the second floor and is known for locking herself in the bathroom to scream and wail. Allegedly, when this happens, nothing can get that door to open.
Others have reported seeing the spirit of a young girl roaming around the first floor.
For a more thorough discussion of the Red Lion’s spirit guests and for pictures of the original decor, check out Haunted Houses.com.
So, did I encounter any of these spirits?
No.
The bartender I mentioned above graciously gave me a brief tour of the first floor, and I asked him about the paranormal history. He knew the stories, he said, and had heard other employees mention things in passing. However, he claimed to have witnessed very little out of the ordinary.
If the place was home to wandering spirits, he said, those spirits left when the renovations happened and the new Red Lion was born.
He did add, though, that I should come back and talk to the owner… and recently I discovered Colin has started a pod cast concerning the legends and lore behind the pub. You can find the first episode of “The Red Lion Pub Hub” by clicking this link.
Was I disappointed? A little. But still, the Red Lion Pub was a marvelous find.
Cordwell made it more than a cozy place to enjoy a pint and bask in the English atmosphere. He made it a place to honor history, specifically the Great Wars and his family’s participation in them.
European history books, literature, and various pieces of wartime memorabilia are stacked behind the bar, giving you more than enough to peruse and look at. But Codwell took it further.
The front section, beyond the dining areas and just beyond the two-way, electric (unfortunately) fireplace, is the “War Room”, dedicated to Cordwell’s grandfather Robert, who was shot multiple times during the war and survived an attempted bayonetting.
A small alcove is at the back end of the bar, near the doors that lead to the kitchen. Here, sketches, drawings, and handmade maps adorn the walls. All the work was created by Cordwell’s father, John, an expert in forgery, who played an instrumental role in planning the “Great Escape” from a WWII, German POW camp, which served as the basis for the 1963 film of the same name starring Steve McQueen. Flight Lieutenant and forger Colin Blythe, played by Donald Pleasance, is the character inspired by John.
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If you are in Chicago, the Red Lion is definitely worth a visit. Grab a bite and a pint, wander, look at the books and artifacts, and bask in the glow of English pub culture. And who knows– maybe you’ll get to witness that which I did not.
At least not on my first visit…
For more information and menus visit the home page of the Red Lion Pub.
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