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Ever have that feeling that you are being watched? Do you hear footsteps going up and down the stairs when no one is around? Could it be a ghost? A ghost may be the spirit of a person after his or her death. St. Louis is considered one of the most haunted cities of the American Heartland.
Perhaps the most haunted place in the city of St. Louis is the infamous Lemp Mansion. It was once home to the Lemp family, the first makers of lager beer. The history of four family suicides still hangs ominously over the mansion. Today the mansion is opened to the public with a restaurant and bed-and-breakfast. Staff members and visitors speak of their own odd experiences of doors locking and unlocking on their own and glimpses of apparitions who appear and vanish at will.
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Room 304 Guests at the Chase Hotel can catch a glimpse of a beautiful redheaded woman in a white dress. She has be seen looking out the window or vanishing through the door. |
Jacob Goldman came to America and settled in St. Louis. After becoming a prosperous businessman and having a successful life, family tragedy struck. First his wife passed away and left him to care for their four children. The youngest, Hortense, the apple of his eye, died two years later and left him grief-stricken. He bought a tract of land, which he named Hortense Place, after his daughter. "The Castle" is the nickname the house came to be known as. Decades after new ownerships and renovations the ghost of Hortense appeared. The owners had houseguests from out of town, who arrived late at night. They went to bed, but were awaken by little girl calling out "Daddy, Daddy." The next morning, they told their hosts they didn't realize they had a little girl. And of course, the hosts didn't have a little girl.
Paranormal experts believe ghosts tend to haunt the places they enjoyed most in life. So the next time you have a supernatural experience it could be a lost mischievous spirit.
Article by: St. Louis Public Library staff
