History & local legend
Lemont's John I. Thompson Grain Elevator was built in 1885 to store local grain for sale and shipment by railroad. More than a century later, a Halloween fundraiser transformed its wooden interior into a place for a deliberately invented ghost story.
Visitors to the Haunted Granary heard about an eleven-year-old boy caught in a rush of grain. In the tale, his body remained undiscovered for months. Volunteer Ron Smith told The Daily Collegian in 2006 that someone had created the story to frighten the children attending the event.
The attraction led visitors through a maze and through the old grain elevator itself. Ticket proceeds supported the restoration of the historic structure.
