Scott FabricantJanuary Tunnel may be spooky at night, but if you want to find real haunted places, you’re going to need to get out into the city. St. Louis is famous for some of its haunted spots and is considered one of the most haunted cities in America. You may have already heard that The Exorcism was inspired by a St. Louis case, but there are more paranormal fables to be found here. Scared yet?
Lemp Mansion
Before Anheuser-Busch, there was Lemp. The richest brewing family in St. Louis became victims to an infamous series of violent suicides. First came the mysterious death of Fredrick Lemp, the son of company owner William Lemp. Three years later, William shot himself in the head and William Jr. took over the company. When Prohibition was ratified, the company was destroyed, and William Jr.’s sister, Elsa, committed suicide. Two years later, William Jr. killed himself, leaving his brother, Charles, who lived alone in the Lemp Mansion for many years until he too ended his life with a bullet.
With all the family members dead, the mansion was turned into a boarding house. But the residents began to hear things – ghostly knocks and footsteps in the night. The mansion was eventually sold and turned into a restaurant, but the hauntings continue to this day.
Tony Valentine, an employee at the restaurant for many years, has seen his share of strange happenings.
“I’ve heard pianos played, dogs start barking and candles light themselves, with no one else around. Seven or eight years ago, I saw a man in a suit walking around in one of the bedrooms. I walked in after him and he was gone.”
The Lemp Mansion is proud of its reputation as a famous haunted house. Other locations suffer more privately.
The Old Courthouse
Across from the picturesque Gateway Arch lies another beautiful building, the old courthouse. As it has not been in use since 1930, it has been turned into a museum. But some claim the museum is haunted. A few security guards have reported flickering lights, slamming doors and otherworldly screams. Allegedly, these noises were so frightening that the police were called in to investigate, but the courthouse was empty. Could the lost souls of notorious criminals be haunting the site where they were condemned?
“No,” said Richard Ferrerman of the National Park Service. “People think this was a criminal court, where executions were performed. But this was a civil courthouse. I’ve never heard any ghosts, only bad jokes.”
A cover-up? Only they know for sure.
Jefferson Barracks
Another St. Louis historic spot rumored to be haunted is Jefferson Barracks, which lies south of bustling downtown. Formerly used as an army barracks and training area, it was decommissioned after World War II and turned into a park. When it was active, both Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee spent time there. A Veteran’s Hospital also existed on the site. With the barracks’ connection to war, it’s no surprise a number of ghost stories have sprouted up around it.
One story involves a Halloween party at the hospital. A man in a Civil War costume sat alone in the corner. A guest came over and asked him if he were enjoying himself, to which the man mumbled, “I like it good.” The reveler began to walk away, but turned back around. The man in the Civil War costume was gone. When he asked the host about the man, the host replied that no one was wearing a Civil War costume that night.
Another famous story involves soldiers at their guard post near the gunpowder magazine. The guards would occasionally be confronted by another sentry, a ghostly apparition with a bleeding bullet hole in his head. Allegedly killed by a raiding party decades earlier, he continues to patrol the magazine against any intruders, including the live soldiers.
These are only some of the stories about Jefferson Barracks, but is there any substance to the rumors? Glenda Stocklon, a long time volunteer at the park, doubts it. “I’ve been here all hours of day and night, and never seen or heard a thing. I’ve been working here for 15 years,” said Stocklon.
She believes the existence of ghosts may be possible, but some of the rumors are flat out false. According to Stocklon, the haunted gatehouse from the sentry story doesn’t even exist.
Hitchhiker Annie
On the edge of the city are two cemeteries, existing side by side: Bellefontaine and Calvary. Many famous people are buried there, but the real haunting takes place on the road that separates them. Calvary Drive is a spooky road, with tall gravestones flanking you on both sides. Some nights, just after sunset, a mysterious young woman in a white dress appears on the road. She flags down a passing motorist and asks to be taken down the street. As the driver passes the entrance to Bellefontaine, the girl simply disappears. Others say the woman walks onto the road, causing drivers to swerve to avoid hitting her. But when they look to see if the woman is alright, there is no trace she was ever there.
Maybe there is a lesson to be learned from this story – don’t pick up hitchhikers.
“I wouldn’t pick up a hitchhiker anyway, but I’d be even less likely to having heard this story,” said senior Nathan Watters, a St. Louis native.
The House on Plant Avenue
A small private residence, this haunted house’s exact location is kept secret by its current owners, and for very good reason. The ghost of rich businessman Henry Gehm still lurks in the house, looking for the gold he stashed there before his death. After Gehm’s death, the house was owned by the Furry family. At night, ghosts plagued Mrs. Furry, banging on her bed and windows and shaking her in her sleep. Footsteps echoed all around the house, especially in the attic. Is it Gehm, looking for his gold? He may not be alone. The child of Mrs. Furry gave her mother quite a fright one morning when she asked, “Who is the lady in black who comes in my room at night?”
Not surprisingly, the Furrys moved out, and the Walsh family moved in. More ghostly figures moved in with them. The attic door would mysteriously open and close; typewriters and light switches operated themselves; empty rooms became a disheveled mess. The Walsh family also moved out. The current residents still experience mysterious and frightening phenomena, but they embrace their haunted house.
Not everyone would have the guts to stay.
“I would probably not buy a house rumored to be haunted,” said Watters. “I wouldn’t want to take that chance.”
This is only a sample of what ghostly mysteries surround this old city on the Mississippi; there are far too many to fit on this page. Maybe you know of others here, or in your own hometown. Just remember, if you buy an old house, you may not be the only residents living in there.
Well, you might be the only ones living.