H.H. Holmes — The Murder Castle — Killer Files

Alleged / reported perpetrator

Herman Webster Mudgett (alias Dr. Henry Howard Holmes)

Status: executed

Case overview

Herman Webster Mudgett (1861–1896), operating under the alias Dr. Henry Howard Holmes, is widely regarded as the first serial killer documented by American law enforcement. He constructed a purpose-built three-storey building at 601–603 W. 63rd Street in the Englewood neighbourhood of Chicago — later named the "Murder

Reported paranormal context

The former Murder Castle site at 63rd Street and South Wallace Avenue in Englewood, Chicago, is now occupied by a United States Post Office. The building has been investigated by numerous paranormal researchers. Commonly reported phenomena include apparitions of women in Victorian-era dress, cold spots concentrated in areas corresponding to the former basement, EVP recordings described as female voices and unintelligible whispers, shadow figures, and a general atmospheric oppression reported by sensitive visitors. No individual haunting has been confirmed as attributable to a specific named victim.

Timeline

1893-05-01 · event
World's Columbian Exposition opens — Chicago
Holmes operated his building as a hotel for the duration of the Fair (May–October 1893), drawing an estimated 27 million visitors to Chicago. He specifically targeted young women seeking employment at the event.
1895-07-01 · investigation
Chicago excavation — human remains found
Police excavation of the Murder Castle basement revealed human bones, teeth, charred remains, a dissection table, a crematorium, acid vats, and a lime pit. The building burned to the ground in August 1895 before the investigation was complete.
1896-05-07 · execution
Holmes executed by hanging
H.H. Holmes was hanged at Moyamensing Prison in Philadelphia, aged 34. He was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Yeadon, Pennsylvania, in a cement-filled coffin at his own request.
1888 · event
Murder Castle construction complete
Holmes completed construction of his three-storey building at 63rd and Wallace in Englewood, Chicago, designed with secret passages, soundproofed rooms, gas lines, chutes, and a basement crematorium.
1891 · attack
Julia and Pearl Conner murdered
Julia Conner and her daughter Pearl (approx. 8 years old) disappeared around Christmas 1891. Remains consistent with a child and adult were later found in the basement during the 1895 investigation.

Attack / sighting map

Explore geographic context on the PRN Map Explorer.

Media archive

image · location
H.H. Holmes Castle, Chicago, c.1890s
Exterior of the building known as Holmes' Castle / World's Fair Hotel.
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image · portrait
Dr. Henry Howard Holmes (H. W. Mudgett)
Historical portrait of H.H. Holmes.
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image · portrait
Benjamin Pitezel
Benjamin Pitezel, Holmes associate and victim.
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image · historical
Execution of H.H. Holmes, 1896
Contemporary depiction of Holmes's execution at Moyamensing Prison, 1896.
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image · location
Englewood Post Office (former Castle site)
US Post Office now at 63rd & Wallace, site of the former Murder Castle.
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Reported paranormal activity

visual · unverified
The former Murder Castle site has been investigated by paranormal researchers over many decades. The US Post Office that now occupies the location sits over the former basement area. Investigators report apparitions described as women in Victorian dress appearing near areas corresponding to the former basement and gas chambers; cold spots of uncertain origin; shadow figures; and EVP recordings described as unintelligible female voices and whispers. A general atmospheric dread is reported by sensitive visitors. The Chicago Paranormal Investigators and multiple independent teams have documented the site. No individual account has been conclusively verified.
Area: Former Murder Castle site (now US Post Office), 63rd Street and South Wallace Avenue, Englewood, Chicago
atmospheric · unverified
Postal workers and visitors have reported unexplained odours (described as burning, chemical or decay), frequent equipment and security-camera malfunctions, and a sense of unease in the basement, which some believe shares a foundation wall with the original Castle. These accounts featured in a PBS documentary segment and remain anecdotal.
Area: Basement of the Englewood post office (former Murder Castle site), 63rd Street and South Wallace Avenue, Chicago
visual · unverified
The first episode of the 'Ghost Adventures: Serial Killer Spirits' miniseries focused on a house in Irvington, Indiana connected to Holmes, where the current owner is reported to believe dark forces overtook the property. As covered by Dread Central and Higgypop, Zak Bagans and crew investigate the site for paranormal activity. This is a paranormal-entertainment TV investigation presenting reported activity, not documented proof.
Area: Holmes-associated murder house, Irvington, Indiana — 'Ghost Adventures: Serial Killer Spirits' investigation
atmospheric · contested
A well-known piece of American crime folklore holds that, before his 1896 hanging at Moyamensing Prison, Holmes pronounced a curse on all who helped convict him. As catalogued by crime writer Rebecca Frost and the Weekly View, the legend points to a string of later misfortunes among the people involved: Moyamensing's superintendent reportedly killed himself, a juror died by gas, a priest who attended the gallows was found dead in an alley, the detective Frank Geyer fell suddenly ill, and informant Marion Hedgepeth was shot in a holdup. Frost and others note these deaths were collected after the fact into a curse narrative and treat it as folklore.
Area: Everyone connected to Holmes's trial and execution ('the Curse of H.H. Holmes')
atmospheric · unverified
Ghost City Tours and CBS Chicago's 'Chicago Hauntings' coverage report that workers and visitors at the Englewood post office have described phantom odours with no physical source (variously described as burning, chemical or decay), shadow figures, frequent malfunction of stored equipment, and a few claims of being touched or shoved by unseen hands in the basement. These are anecdotal site reports tied to the building's history rather than verified phenomena.
Area: Englewood post office basement, former Murder Castle site, Chicago
atmospheric · unverified
During filming for the PBS programme 'The Hauntings of Chicago,' postal employees at the Englewood branch are reported to have described strange occurrences in the building, especially the basement, which some believe shares a foundational wall with the original Castle. As relayed by American Ghost Walks, staff accounts include unexplained sounds and unease in the lower level. These are reported employee anecdotes captured for a haunted-history programme rather than controlled findings.
Area: Basement of the Englewood post office (former Murder Castle site), 63rd Street and South Wallace Avenue, Chicago — TV investigation

Sources

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America — Erik Larson, 2003Tier 3
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Herman W. Mudgett (H.H. Holmes) — trial record — 1895Tier 2
Depraved: The Shocking True Story of America's First Serial Killer — Harold Schechter, 1994Tier 3
H.H. Holmes Murder Castle: History of Chicago's First Serial Killer — Tim Nealon, 2024Tier 3
H. H. Holmes’ Murder Trial — Joseph Tyson III, 2018Tier 3
H.H. Holmes: The Victims of Chicago's First Serial Murderer — Biography.com Editors, 2021Tier 3
Chicago Hauntings: The Story Of H.H. Holmes' Murder Castle, And Sightings In The Basement Of The Englewood Post Office Standing In Its Place — 2021Tier 3
Explore H.H. Holmes Murder House on GHOST ADVENTURES: SERIAL KILLER SPIRITS — Dread Central staff, 2019Tier 3
The Haunted H.H. Holmes Murder Castle — Ghost City Tours, 2022Tier 3
H. H. Holmes Murder House - Ghost Adventures: Serial Killer Spirits - Episode 1 — Higgypop, 2019Tier 3
The Curse of H.H. Holmes, Part 2 — Weekly View staff, 2016Tier 3
Englewood Ghost Stories and Chicago's Infamous Murder Castle — American Ghost Walks, 2021Tier 3
The Curse of H. H. Holmes — Rebecca Frost, 2020Tier 3