History Cop - Home of Johnson Research Services

10/18/2025

If your looking for a spooky good time around Halloween and want to help a great cause then please join us for a great time next Saturday 10/25/25 at 6:30pm for a walking historic tour of Elmhurst. The tickets are only $25.00 each and I will be conducting the tour personally. It is for one night only and limited to the first 50 people. All the monies will go to benefit the DuPage County DuPage Veteran Mentor Program. Hope to see you there if you dare!

https://dupagevetmentors.com/events/

08/18/2024

Voting is open! This is our Australian Labradoodle Teddy (Ted E.) We entered him in a contest to be a spokesdog for Ales for Tales. One vote costs $1, 5 votes is $5 and so on and so on. It is a fundraiser for Spay Illinois Pet Well Clinics out of Lisle, a great organization we have used with our previous pups. If Teddy gets the most votes he will get his cute little mug on a draft beer by Miskatonic Brewing! How could you not vote for this little guy? Of course I am a bit biased. Voting is going on right now and ends on Sep 20th. Thanks all!

Show your support for Spay Illinois Pet Well Clinics by voting for Ted E. Doodle in 2024 Ales for Tails Spokesdog & Spokescat Contest

06/26/2023

Hey Everyone! I just created a fun, scavenger hunt for eAtlas that you can do in the Chicago Loop that takes you to 9 different locations where Dr. H. H. Holmes operated shortly before the 1893 World's Fair. You can do it at your leisure or create teams and compete against each other. The great news is that eAtlas has made it free until July 31st if you use the promo code: WhiteDevil at checkout. If you click on the link below from your computer it will take you to the hunt main page, if you click on it from your phone it will guide you through the app download and then to the hunt. Enjoy!

03/08/2023

The head and tail from the replica Viking ship from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition are restored and available for public view again! So exciting!

Geneva History Museum is holding a contest to name the dragon head and tail of the replica Viking ship showcased in "Viking's Voyage: A 19th Century Ship's Journey from Norway to Illinois," an exhibit on display from Feb. 4 to Dec. 23 at the museum, 113 Third St.

12/17/2022

https://historycop.com/the-lore-of-chicagos-christmas-tree-ship/
My latest article on the lore of Chicago's Christmas Tree Ship

The legends and superstitions surrounding ships and the sailors who manned them are centuries old and worldwide, but it is not necessary for you to live on an ocean shore to share or appreciate those stories. Chicago is on the southwest shore of Lake Michigan, one of the “Great Lakes” of North A...

11/23/2022

The grave marker of August Boness and the mystery in Justice, IL surrounding it.

I originally published this story as a three-part blog on Chicago Now which no longer exists. It has given me the opportunity to combine them into one cohesive story with additions and corrections from the original. For decades the residents of Justice, Illinois, and curiosity seekers from elsewhere...

11/17/2022

It is funny how a twist of fate can affect everything. Nathan Leopold Jr.'s birthdate is coming up on November 19th (2 days) and most in this group are aware that he was arrested and charged along with his partner in crime Richard Loeb with the murder of Loeb's cousin, Bobby Franks which was committed on May 21, 1924. If not for the quick work of the police investigators, Leopold could have been in Europe at the time and likely could have avoided questioning and ultimately extradition. Leopold had applied for a U.S. Passport on April 24, 1924, about one month before the murder. It was approved and issued on April 28, 1924. Leopold's family was set to leave for Europe on June 11, 1924. The police brought him in for official questioning on May 29, 1924, only 18 days before they were set to leave. That was one European vacation that Nathan was never able to take.

05/19/2022

I have worked as a researcher on this documentary for almost a year now and had the honor to work with and for Larry and Susan and am excited to see the finished product. It premiers this Friday at 8:pm Central on WTTW. It is high time we recognize the great influence that the Czech community has had on the city of Chicago!

At the turn of the twentieth century, Chicago had the third-largest Czech population in the world, behind only Prague and Vienna. Czechs were deeply involved in the labor movement, politics, and more, as the producers of a new documentary on Czechs in Chicago explain.

02/17/2022

Wow! Last October I presented a program about the remaining artifacts from the White City and it garnered close to 60K views! That is something considering the library says they average about 100! Just goes to prove how popular the is !

From May 1, 1893 to October 30, 1893 Chicago was the focal point of the entire world! A quick history of the White City and where you can still find what rem...

12/29/2021

12/13/2021

My goodbye and thank you letter to my favorite novelist, Anne Rice, who passed away Saturday at 80.

One of my favorite Anne Rice quotes. Saturday, November 11, 2021, was a sad day for many including myself. The novelist, Anne Rice, passed away at the age of 80. Her son Christopher posted on her Facebook fan page that she passed due to complications from a stroke. She was most well-known for her Va...

03/14/2021

Our third episode about The Unsolved Murders of Chicago’s Barbara and Patricia Grimes is live! In this new episode, we introduce Chuck Melquist as a possible suspect and feature an interview with a close friend and neighbor of Patricia Grimes!

A true-crime series hosted by a former criminal investigator and a true-crime documentarian and executive producer. The series focuses on both solved and unsolved murder cases and incorporates a cocktail or other drink popularized by the geograph...