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Haunted MISSOURI Kansas City Ghosts and Gangsters Tour
LEMP MANSION, St. Louis
The Lemp Mansion in St. Louis is no longer owned by the Lemp family, but many people believe the mansion is haunted by four of the family members who committed suicide. William J. Lemp, the father, shot himself in 1904 in his office. Three of his children also killed themselves, Elsa in 1920, William Jr. in 1922, and Charles in 1949. The sad story of the Lemp family gives way to creepy tales and sightings at the wealthy family’s old home. Visitors and employees of the mansion have reported doors opening and closing on their own and candles lighting spontaneously, and some say they have seen apparitions of the family. The Lemp Mansion is now a restaurant and inn, but it holds ghost tours Monday evenings with a paranormal investigator. The mansion also does a special supernatural hunt called “The Lemp Experience” for $25, which includes food and drinks.
ans after World War II, and the military owned the
saw unexplainable things in the mansion, and some
www.lempmansion.com • 314-664-8024
building until 1993.
report seeing the ghost of Cruikshank. Tours are held
Jefferson City
every day in the house from 10 AM until 4 PM. Dur-
castle and who may have passed away in the castle,
ing the tour, guests are given copper rods to detect if
but many castle staff and visitors say they’ve heard
spirits are nearby. Tours cost $15 for adults.
Since the 175-year-old penitentiary closed its doors
voices of men and women, bumped into an invisible
www.rockcliffemansion.com•573-221-4140
in 2004, there have been numerous reports of ghosts
mass, heard doors shutting, or saw objects moving
at the prison. With its nickname “Bloodiest 47 acres
on their own.
KANSAS CITY GHOSTS AND GANGSTERS TOUR
in America,” it’s no surprise spirits may still roam the
The castle is open for tours the second Friday of
grounds. Accounts tell of apparitions, the sound of
every month at 8:30 and 10:30 PM for $15, with more
Take a bus tour around Kansas City to see its haunted
laughter, and cell doors being slammed shut.
tours in October.
history, including infamous mafia hot spots.
The penitentiary offers three different tours: a ghost tour, a history tour, and a group tour. The twohour ghost tours are available every Saturday for $25 per person, and they start at 8 PM. The prison is also
www.pythiancastle.com •417-865-1464
ROCKCLIFFE MANSION, Hannibal
The tour includes a trip to the Hotel Savoy, the oldest continuously operating hotel west of the Mississippi River, with eerie stories of doors slamming
John Cruikshank wanted to show off his wealth and
and unknown voices. It’s said to be haunted by past
open for overnight tours at $100 per person.
status, so he built a mansion on a hill overlooking
resident Betsy Ward, who died in her hotel room. The
www.missouripentours.com•573-632-2820
the town of Hannibal. Cruikshank, his wife, and four
bus also visits St. Mary’s Church, where parishioners
daughters moved into the house in 1900. He passed
and clergy say they’ve seen the ghost of Father Hen-
away in 1924, at which point the family left the house
ry David Jardine, the church’s leader in the 1800s. His
Yes, there is a castle in Springfield. And yes, people
and it remained empty for 43 years until three local
death was ruled a suicide, and he supposedly roams
believe there are ghosts in the building. The struc-
families saved it from becoming another empty lot.
the church to clear his good name. Tours cost $30.
ture was built in 1913 as an orphanage and senior
Once people started staying in the house again, they
Private tours are available by appointment. Tours are
citizens’ home for members of the Knights of Pythias,
soon came to believe that Cruikshank never actually
held every Friday and Saturday at 6 PM and 9 PM.
a fraternal order started in 1864. In 1942, the building
left the mansion.
www.kcghostsandgangsterstour.com
PYTHIAN CASTLE, Springfield
became an office and service club for injured veter-
Visitors and staff at the house claim they heard or
BY MELANIE LOTH
816-472-GHOST
FORESTER MICHAEL
MISSOURI STATE PENITENTIARY,
There is very little known about who stayed in the
[50] MissouriLife
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9/1/11 9:51 AM