The origin of this mechanical boy was a mystery until he revealed his maker by writing it in perfect cursive.

Where America's first doomsday cult awaited the end of the world.

Tour the dark and beloved poet's former cobwebbed basement, which may have inspired "The Black Cat."

A rare view of a preserved Victorian science museum.

A layered tribute to the work of mosaicist Isaiah Zagar.

An abandoned cemetery lies in ruins as the surrounding forest swallows it whole.

America's most famous museum of medical oddities is home to the remains of Albert Einstein's brain.

No one knows how many bodies are in this vault in a Chicago public park.

A curious collection of miniatures in a quiet corner of the Chicago Children's Museum.

One-of-a-kind preserved ruins of an abandoned 1880s church in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood.

This memorial plaque remembers a strangely shallow maritime disaster known as "Chicago's Titanic."

This landmark of the Chicago silent film industry may not be in the picture business anymore but it still stands proudly.

This historic-shipwreck-cum-diving-spot can still be seen poking its boiler out of the Lake Michigan waters that claimed it.

Fragments of architectural wonders from around the globe are embedded in the newspaper building's walls.

Home to a protest movement, a bombing, and a dramatic change in labor history.

Beloved bar home to musicians of all eras and reputations.

A European-style bath house in Chicago.

Cemetery featuring rare glass-fronted columbarium.

This $3 million model train takes you through Chicago, Seattle, and the thousands of miles in between.

Each of these gorgeous, intricately decorated rooms is painstakingly crafted to the scale of 1 inch: 1 foot.

The world's only known button museum.

Chicago's largest cemetery is full of beautiful Victorian monuments and more than a few ghost stories.

What's left of the ruins of the 1893 Columbian Exhibition, or World's Fair, also known as the White City.

A century-old hotspot for jazz, frequented by everyone from Charlie Chaplin to Al Capone.