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Underrated Ghost Stories And Mythical Creatures All Over The World: One Hundred And Thirty-Seventh Stop – St. Louis Missouri

St. Louis is a major city in Missouri. It is a very historical city because this is where the Gateway Arch was built in the 1960s. It was built to honor the explorations of Lewis and Clark. There are also a lot of restaurants and clubs in the area that play blues music.

A scenic view at St. Louis, Missouri. (Link: https://www.visittheusa.com/destination/st-louis)

One specific place that people also visit in St. Louis is the Lemp Mansion. It is likewise a historical building in the city and is said to be haunted. Accordingly, four suicides from the family members of the Lemp family took place.

An old photo of Lemp Mansion. (Link: https://www.stlmag.com/history/lemp-mansion-ghosts-psychic-tour/)

The History of Lemp Mansion

The original patriarch of the Lemp family was Johann “Adam” Lemp. He was born in Germany in 1788 and settled in St. Louis, Missouri by 1838. He owned a grocery store and also sold his own beer and vinegar. By the year 1840, he focused on his beer sales. His beer actually became very popular because it was German beer. Adam’s son, William J. Lemp, initially worked for his father’s brewery until he was enlisted in the United States Army. However, when his father Adam died, he returned to St. Louis to manage their brewery. With William’s management, their brewery became the largest brewery in St. Louis.

Johann ‘Adam’ Lemp in an undated phot. (Link: https://www.stlmag.com/history/profiles/unveiling-the-real-johann-adam-lemp/)

Because of their success, the Lemp Mansion was built in 1890. This was where William housed his family. However, everything came crashing down when William’s fourth son, Frederick, died because of heart failure and different complications. Although he had three others sons, he wanted to groom his youngest to take over the company someday. When Frederick died on December 12, 1901, William became unhappy. Later, on January 1, 1904, he dealt with another heartbreak because his best friend, Frederick Pabst, also passed away. On February 13, 1904, William committed suicide inside their mansion. He used a gun to kill himself.

A photo of the front page of a newspaper when William Lemp Sr. killed himself. (Link: https://www.stltoday.com/news/archives/feb-13-1904-william-lemp-shoots-himself-at-his-family-mansion/article_3f697156-1b22-54b8-947c-f582edcf702e.html)

William Jr., also referred to as Billy, later took over the brewing company. He married one Lillian Handlan and they moved to another home. However, by 1908, she filed for divorce claiming Billy was cruel and deserted her and their son. By the early 1920s, their brewery suffered greatly. It was then shut down. On December 29, 1922, Billy shot himself and died.

William Jr. in the frontpage of a newspaper when he committed suicide. (Link: https://www.stltoday.com/news/archives/feb-13-1904-william-lemp-shoots-himself-at-his-family-mansion/article_3f697156-1b22-54b8-947c-f582edcf702e.html)

Earlier, however, Billy’s sister, the youngest child of William Sr., Elsa Lemp Wright, shot herself, too. Some claim that it was actually a murder fronted as a suicide but this was never clarified.

Elsa Lemp Wright in the frontpage of a newspaper when she shot herself. (Link: https://www.stltoday.com/news/archives/feb-13-1904-william-lemp-shoots-himself-at-his-family-mansion/article_3f697156-1b22-54b8-947c-f582edcf702e.html)

In the year 1949, another suicide in the family happened. This time, it was the third son of William Sr., Charles Lemp. He initially worked for the family’s brewery but left in 1917 to try his hand at banking and finance. He never married and he lived in the Lemp Mansion with his doggo. He killed himself on May 9, 1949 and left a suicide letter saying, “In case I am found dead blame it on no one but me.”

Another death happened in the Lemp Mansion but it was not a suicide. Accordingly, Billy had a son with Down Syndrome. The boy, named Zeke, was an illegitimate child of Billy and he was made to stay in the attic. Until Zeke’s last breath, he remained in the attic.

One of the rooms in the attic at the Lemp Mansion. (Link: https://www.legendsofamerica.com/mo-lempmansion/3/)

The Lemp family lived in the Lemp Mansion until the year 1949. A year after, the mansion was converted into a boarding house. A construction on Interstate 55 during the 1960s led to the destruction of much of the property. However, there still remains many original details of the home such as the decorative iron gates, the office where William Jr. committed suicide, the Italian marble mantle that the family once had, and more.

Today, the Lemp Mansion is a restaurant and an inn owned by the Pointer family. They accept ghost tours in the Lemp Mansion.

The Lemp Mansion today. (Link: https://www.riverfronttimes.com/stlouis/lemp-mansion-restaurant-and-inn/Location?oid=2695989)

The Ghosts At The Lemp Mansion

Because of the deaths at the Lemp Mansion, it is not surprising to find spirits roaming around and experience paranormal activities there.

Accordingly, because it is so haunted, many employees do not stick around. Some of the reported activities are the sound of someone running up the stairs, the doors being kicked, a spirit peeping through the women’s restroom, objects flying through the air, doors being locked and unlocked, lights being turned on and off, a piano being played, and many more. The ghosts are reportedly very active and would not care whatever the time of the day is because they would let visitors know they are present.

The staircase at the Lemp Mansion. (Link: https://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g44881-d121276-i21298550-The_Lemp_Mansion-Saint_Louis_Missouri.html)

The attic is understandably haunted by Zeke, who was cruelly referred to as Monkey Face Boy. Accordingly, two former servants confirmed that they lived with Zeke in the attic because this was where the servants were housed. According to witnesses, the face of Zeke was seen regularly peeking from the small windows of the Lemp Mansion. Many investigators left toys in the middle of the attic for him to play. They usually place it inside a drawn circle to see if Zeke moved it. Indeed, the next day that the investigators went to the mansion, the toys were found in different places.

The women’s bathroom downstairs is reportedly haunted by the ghost of William Jr. This was reportedly his personal area. Women claimed that they saw a figure of a man peeking over the bathroom stalls. One woman reportedly made a scene when she got out of the bathroom and turned to two men at the bar that she hopes they “got an eyeful.” The two men were confused and said that they never left the bar. The bartender came to the defense of the two men.

The women’s bathroom at the Lemp Mansion. (Link: https://www.stltoday.com/online/7-lemp-mansion/article_fb8311ad-bf10-5665-8e61-9cbec72b35a9.html)

The room of William Sr. is likewise said to be haunted. The people who heard someone running up the stairs is said to be that of William Jr. when they heard a gunshot coming from the room of William Jr. The kicking of the door is also reportedly caused by William Jr. because when William Sr. killed himself, his door was locked so they were forced to open it. A tour guide also claimed he heard the sounds of horses outside the room of William Sr.

A photo of the room of William Sr. (Link: https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/347903139940402161/)

Betsy Burnett-Belanger, a historian and paranormal investigator, believes that there are nine ghosts that haunt the Lemp Mansion. Aside from the three reported spirits mentioned above, Burnett-Belanger said there is another referred to as “The Stinky Man.” Accordingly, whenever he is around, there is a certain odor. He is also reportedly territorial of the mansion because the spirit told the investigator to get out of the mansion.

Have you had any encounter at the Lemp Mansion? Let us know in the comments below!

Lemp Mansion at night. (Link: http://www.cravescavesandgraves.com/2013/11/lemp-mansion.html)

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