Ghost Research Society

Clarence Darrow Memorial Bridge

Clarence Seward Darrow was born in Kinsman, Ohio on April 18, 1857 and died in Chicago on March 13, 1938. He was a magnificent orator, lifelong dissenter, often defended the most unpopular cases and handled some of the most sensational trials of the day. His father was an agonistic and abolitionist during the Civil War. His trades included cabinetmaker, furniture dealer and undertaker.

Darrow studied at Allegheny College and the University of Michigan Law School. He was admitted to the bar in 1878 and practiced in northeastern Ohio. In 1888 he moved to Chicago and he met John Peter Altgeld. Darrow greatly admired Altgeld's critique, "Our Penal Machinery and Its Victims". They eventually became business associates. Later, Darrow formed a partnership with Edgar Lee Master who was also a poet.

In 1890 Darrow was appointed assistant corporation counsel for the city. He later resigned to become general counsel for the Chicago and Northwest Railway and then left to defend Eugene Debs in the Pullman strike trial in 1895. It became a turning point in his career.

In 1902 Darrow was elected to the Illinois House on the Public Ownership ticket. He served one term. He also represented miners in the anthracite strike in 1902 in Pennsylvania and successfully defended William D. Haywood in 1907. Haywood was accused of murdering former Idaho governor Frank Steunenberg. In 1911 he defended the McNamara brothers who were accused of bombing the Los Angeles Times building in a terrorist act. They killed some twenty people. Darrow won but was accused of jury tampering. He was later acquitted.

His biggest case came in 1924 when he represented Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb who were teenage sons of some prominent Chicagoans who were accused of kidnaping and murdering fourteen-year-old Bobby Franks for "kicks". The public demanded the death penalty but in the end, Darrow won. On September 10, 1924, the court sentenced the defendants to life in prison.

Darrow died of heart disease in March of 1938 at his home at 1537 E. 60th Street, overlooking the bridge near the Jackson Park Lagoon. Funeral services were held at the Bond Chapel on the University of Chicago and his ashes were scattered in the lagoon. On May 1, 1957, the bridge bearing his name was dedicated. Every year on the date of his demise, a wreath-laying ceremony is held to commemorate his life and death.

In October of 1990 rumors began to circulate about visual apparitions allegedly seen by the back stairs of the Museum of Science and Industry at 57th and South Lake Shore Drive. A group of people saw a nicely dressed elderly man standing there in a camel-haired coat. As they called out to him, he did not answer or respond in anyway. It was like he really wasn't there at all. About a week later another group were at the same area and only some saw the apparition while others in the group did not.

In 1991 a strange silhouetted form was seen from time to time near the top of the stairs on the right-hand side. It wasn't a natural shadow because of subsequent visits, nothing was seen.

Beginning in 1993, I began to tour the location on my Excursions Into The Unknown haunted bus tours. A man from Middlebury, Indiana, Gary Phipps, had never heard about the story before had taken some pictures from the left-hand side of the bridge facing the south-side of the museum. The temperature was mild and no visible steam or smoke was being emitted from the lagoon. However, after he got his film back, he was amazed to see a smokey image resembling a face just over the guardrails of the bridge.

In 1998, we repeated this site on our south and southwest tours and, strangely enough, Mr. Phipps was on this tour as well. During our last general public tour on November 14, 1998, he took three strange photographs that appear to have some strange fog or mist.

Could these images be the ghost of Clarence Darrow? Does he still haunt the site where his ashes were scattered? This year was the 60th Anniversary of his death. Coincidence??

The Clarence Darrow Memorial Bridge is located just to the south of the Museum of Science and Industry on 57th and S. Lake Shore Drive.