Illinois Band and Trust

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. One foggy morning, when even Chicago seemed to hold its breath, a delivery driver pulled up to Illinois Band and Trust with an unusual package. As he approached the door, the air grew heavier than usual, and a soft humming started from inside. The driver hesitated, then carefully opened the door. Inside, everyone was dancing around in circles, completely absorbed by the rhythmic hum. It turned out that the mysterious package contained old vinyl records for the bank’s charity event. Since then, whenever there's fog in Chicago, you can hear faint music coming from Illinois Band and Trust—nobody knows if it's just a legend or true.

2. One autumn afternoon, as children played near Illinois Bank & Trust, a little girl pointed excitedly at something on the sidewalk. Her mother looked down and saw nothing but ordinary graffiti. But every time she blinked, the words changed—first reading ‘Deposit Your Dreams,’ then ‘Withdraw Happiness.’ Just then, an old delivery driver stopped by, scratched his head, and said: 'I thought I heard someone talking about withdrawing happiness yesterday.' Everyone laughed, realizing it was just another quirky Chicago tale. The little girl giggled and ran off with her mom, leaving behind only a faint trace of laughter on the sidewalk.

3. One day after work, a neighbor walked past Illinois Band and Trust and noticed something odd. The reflection in the glass door kept changing shapes—first like an old-timey band conductor, then like a trusty guard saluting passersby. Finally, the neighbor called inside, asking if everything was okay. A voice replied, ‘Just counting money, ma’am!’ Turned out it was just an old security camera reflection playing tricks on everyone. From then on, whenever someone saw a ghostly figure, they’d wave back, thinking it was a friendly bank employee.

4. One stormy night, when thunder rumbled like an angry bear outside Illinois Band and Trust, a delivery driver parked his truck with a clank. As he stepped inside, the bank’s old clock chimed exactly twelve times—twice as many as usual. Inside, the vault door creaked open just enough for him to peer in—and there stood a life-sized paper cutout of Abraham Lincoln, waving cheerfully. The delivery driver laughed nervously, thinking it was some prank by a local neighbor. On his way out, he noticed that the clock had stopped at precisely one o’clock.