So I said “Show Me” some haunted places in Mizzou. And Missouri scared the heck outta me y’all. Here’s 10 places we feel y’all oughta visit:
- The Lemp Mansion – St. Louis – Founded by the man who brought Lager beer to St. Louis. The demise of the Lemp empire is one of the great mercantile mysteries of St. Louis. The first major fissure in the Lemp dynasty occurred when Frederick Lemp, William’s favorite son and the heir apparent to the brewery presidency, died under mysterious circumstances in 1901. Three years later, William J. Lemp shot himself in the head in a bedroom at the family mansion, apparently still grieving the loss of his beloved Frederick. William J. Lemp, Jr. succeeded his father as president. Tragedy continued through each generation. Considered one of the most haunted places in Missouri.
- Zombie Road – Wildwood- This 2.3 mile section of old railroad tracks is one of the largest American Indian mound sites; it was walked by settlers crossing the country; and it was used by the Union Army during the Civil War. It is said the “shadow people” watch at night. Considered one of the most haunted roads in America.
- 1836 Missouri State Penitentiary– Jefferson City – Known as the Bloodiest 47 Acres in America, this prison was once the largest prison in the U.S., housing 5,200 inmates at its peak.
- Pythian Castle – Springfield – The Knights of Pythias — a fraternal organization dedicated to loyalty, honor and friendship — had the Castle built in 1913. In those days, the work of the Knights was highly respected.The Castle served dual roles for the order: a genteel rest home for aging knights’ widows and an orphanage for knights’ children. Though conditions were not so genteel. In 1942, the Castle’s story would change . The US government expropriated the building, converting the farm into a troop camp of sorts, mainly for injured servicemen.Many POWS from Germany and Japan.
- Union Station – Kansas City – Opened in 1914, on June 17, 1933, four lawmen were gunned down by gang members attempting to free captured fugitive Frank Nash. Nash was also killed in the gun battle. The “Kansas City Massacre” highlighted the lawlessness of Kansas City under the Pendergast Machine and resulted in the arming of all FBI agents.
- Jesse James Farm – Kearney
- Smallet’s Cave – Ava – Home of the “Headless Cobbler” An ‘old man’ Evans sometime during the Civil War moved his shoe leather and cobbling gear into the Smallett Cave at the foot of his property. Cobbler Evans has his reasons for making shoes back in the cave: he had a good-sized family to feed and keep shod, and neither he nor his leather and tools were safe from rebel soldiers outside the cave. So, safe from discovery, the shoemaker worked through the daylight hours back in the Smallet Cave, often returning to his home after dark. Story goes he was found beheaded with shoes hanging around his neck and his head was later found deep in the cave. But, you can still hear him tapping on his shoes, and some have said to seen his headless apparition.
- Thespian Hall – Boonville- Thespian Hall in Boonville holds the distinction of being the oldest operating theater west of the Appalachians. It was built in 1857 and has served as a theater, a dance hall, a library, a movie theater, a stable, a skating rink, a church and even a Civil War hospital. Mrs. X is known to haunt the grounds for decades.
- Alton, Mo.- Yes the whole dang town! The city is considered “One of the Most Haunted Small Towns in America.”
- The Exorcist House – St. Louis – Yep, THAT “The Exorcist” House. What some people don’t realize is that The Exorcist was based on a real life case that happened in St Louis.Click the link to read the story.
