Urban Legends

If you drive through what remains of Avilla, Missouri, you'll see that it's mainly a tiny community supported by farmers. Why then is it considered a Route 66 ghost town haunted by "shadow people"? The tales go back to a character known as Rotten Johnny.

Many places in Illinois claim to be haunted, but few can claim as many paranormal happenings as Bachelor's Grove Cemetery. It is allegedly home to the "White Lady" and unholy rituals from secret groups.

If you were around during the summer of 1973, you might remember this. There were dozens of sightings in Illinois of a Bigfoot-like creature that became known as the "Big Muddy Monster". This is one legend that was very real for many nearly 50 years ago.

What is now a post office in Illinois used to be a building with a horrific history. This address housed one of the most notorious serial killers in United States history who treated it as his own murder castle.

Have you heard the tall tale of the werewolf near Sugar Creek around Troy, Missouri? Neither had I...until now. There is definitely some truth buried beneath the generations of Missourians telling this story.

As the stories have been told, there was a woman who lived in the Missouri Ozarks named Betty. She liked to do a bit of conjuring allegedly. Another important fact in the story is a wild razorback that used to run wild on her property. Thus began the Missouri legend of Blood Bones and Raw Head.

Say Candyman 3 times and he'll appear and kill you. Odds are you've laughed at this urban legend, but did you know it's based on a real murder that happened in Illinois in 1987 when a killer came through a mirror?

Riding a bus can be an interesting experience even on a normal day. There is a legend in Illinois about a man who boards a bus and then disappears.

If you grew up in Missouri, you no doubt heard stories about Missouri's version of Bigfoot known as Mo-Mo. That's not the only large cryptid that is rumored to walk the woods of the Show Me State however. There's another Missouri Bigfoot type of creature known as the Beaman Monster and it's a different animal altogether - literally.

When it comes to urban legends in Illinois, one gets brought up more often than most. It is the story that dates back to the late 1800's about an alleged devil baby in what is known as Hull House in Chicago. Let's see if we can separate fact from fiction and legend.