The Very Haunted Lemp Mansion in St. Louis Never Ceases to Amaze

By Margie Kay

The Lemp Mansion, St. Louis, Missouri   Photo: "Lemp-mansion" by MattHucke - Own work. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lemp-mansion.jpg#/media/File:Lemp-mansion.jpg

I had the good fortune to visit and explore the Lemp Mansion in 2012 along with my friend Debbie Ziegelmeyer. After having lunch in the restaurant on the lower level, we moved upstairs to complete our much-anticipated ghost hunt, with equipment in hand. Before mentioning the results, however, lets begin with some history of the place.

The home was built in 1868 by St. Louisian Jacob Feickert. William J. Lemp, owner of the largest brewery in St. Louis, and his wife, Julia, moved into the mansion in 1876. The Lemp family  lived in the house until 1949 when Charles Lemp committed suicide.

William Lemp, the son of a successful grocer and German beer brewer, continued in his father’s footsteps, expanding the company. In 1911, the Lemps contracted major renovations to the home to include conversion of some spaces into offices for the Lemp Brewery.

William brewed and bottled his beer in the same facility to meet growing demand for the product. In 1878 he installed the first refrigeration machine in an American brewery, following with refrigerated railway cars, in order to transport the beer across the States. Not long after, Lemp Beer was sold worldwide.

In 1892, the William J. Lemp Brewing Company was founded from the Western Brewery with William as President, his son William Jr. as Vice-President, and his son Louis as Superintendent.
   William J. "Billy" Lemp, Jr., born on August 13, 1867, went to St. Louis University and then studied the art of brewing. However, it was William Sr.'s fourth son, Frederick, born in 1873, whom he wanted to take over the company. But Frederick had heart issues and died on December 12, 1901 of heart failure due to complication of diseases.

William Sr. became distraught over his son’s death, and his health slowly deteriorated. To make matters worse, his best friend Frederick Pabst died on February 1, 1904. On the morning of February 13, 1904, William Lemp killed himself by gunshot, and died at 10:15 a.m.

On November 7, 1904, William J. "Billy" Lemp, Jr., took over the brewing company as president. Billy had married Lillian Handlan five years earlier, and they moved to a new home at 3343 South 13th Street.

Williams wife, nicknamed the “Lavender Lady” for her love of the color lavender filed for divorce in 1908, charging Billy with desertion, cruel treatment and other indignities. Lillian was granted her divorce and full custody of William III with Billy given visitation rights.

Elsa Lemp Wright, the youngest child of William Lemp Sr., filed for divorce against Thomas Wright. The divorce was granted, however, the couple reconciled and remarried in 1920. After an argument with her husband, Elsa shot herself while in bed at her home on Hortense Place.

In the 1910s The Lemp Brewery suffered when Prohibition began. The brewery was shut down and the Falstaff trademark was sold to Lemp's friend, "Papa Joe" Griesedieck. The brewery was later sold at auction for pennies on the dollar. On December 29, 1922, Billy Lemp shot himself in his office, which today is the dining room on the left side of the door on the main floor.

Billy Lemp had one son, William J. Lemp III, licensed the Lemp name to Central Breweries of East St. Louis in 1939. Central Breweries changed their name to the William J. Lemp Brewing Company, and began a grand marketing campaign resulting in increased sales of the new Lemp Beer. The contract was terminated by Ems Brewing, which bought out Lemp in 1945.

The Lemp Mansion is currently a restaurant and inn owned by the Pointer family. Historical and haunted tours are offered, and it is a venue for murder mystery dinner theatre and Halloween parties.  

The Investigation:

Debbie and I brought along a EMF meter, two digital thermometers, and two cameras for our impromptu ghost hunt rather than bringing the usual bags of equipment. We were not spending the night and didn’t have much time. However, we would not be disappointed.

While sitting in the dining room eating lunch, some movement caught my eye to the right, and I looked, thinking it was the waiter. However, there was nothing there, so I just kept on with our conversation, anticipating that we might capture a spirit in the restaurant, and kept my camera handy. A few minutes later, the movement occurred again, this time a tall dark shadow moved from across the room and through a doorway and towards the staircase in the hall. I took a quick photo but nothing appeared in the photograph.

Debbie Z. taking temperature readings
in the Elsa Lemp Suite

 

Next, we moved to the upstairs area to Elsa’s room. As we walked up the stairs I felt a presence on the staircase. Upon entering Elsa’s room, Debbie and I both felt a presence walk into the room, and I felt something walk through me. Debbie’s thermometer started to drop, and finally stopped at a full 10 degrees lower than the original room temperature. It started out at 72 degrees and dropped to 62 degrees. My EMF meter began to show high readings. I snapped a picture of the fireplace and mirror (see photo on page 11) and there are some streams of light in the mirror which I cannot explain. This type of image has appeared before in photographs of mirrors (see the article on Haunted Deadwood in a previous issue of Un-X News Magazine).

The fireplace and mirror in the Elsa Lemp
Suite with unexplained white streaks in
the mirror. Photo: Margie Kay

 

The presence stayed in the room for several minutes, then as quickly as it came, it was gone again. We took photos and moved on to the hall, and once again, I felt a presence on the stairs so snapped some photos. In one picture there is an unexplained white snake-like stream of light for which I can find no explanation. The photo taken right afterwards shows nothing. If it were something mundane it would surely have shown up in both photographs.

 Our next move was to visit the basement area. Once again, a few minutes after arriving I again felt and saw a presence - this time of an older man wearing a black suit. He was very imposing. I saw him walk from one side of the room, straight in to the bar area and walk through the closed door. I could tell that this was something he did on a regular basis.
The bartender told me that this spot is the old tunnel entrance that went underground to the brewery. Apparently, Mr. Lemp did not want to go out in public to visit his brewery every day. This is something that is not generally known, so  it confirms what I saw. There was a presence of a younger man in the room as well.

Unexplaned ghostly lights appear in the lower part of this photo of the staircase.
Photo: Margie Kay

After our visit to this site I can say that the Lemp Mansion is definitely haunted and worth a visit for any serious ghost hunter.  I’m looking forward to going back.

The Lemp Mansion offers regular and haunted tours and special events. The home may be rented for special events and parties. Every year the Lemp has a Halloween Bash which is touted as being one of the best Halloween parties in the country. Visit www.lempmansion.com for more information. 

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Margie Kay is a veteran paranormal and UFO investigator and author of Haunted Independence Missouri, Gateway to the Dead, and 12 more books. Visit www.margiekay.com for more information. 

 

New Service Gives House Death Facts

A lot of people don't appreciate ghosts - especially in the house they just purchased. But most states don't require disclosure of material facts like these. 

DiedInHouse.com is the first of its kind, web-based service that helps you find out if anyone has died at any valid US address.

From diedinhouse.com: 

Do people care if there is a death in a property?

1. Yes, a 2007 Associated Press Poll found that 1/3 of Americans admit to believing in Ghosts. I wonder how many do not admit it.
2. You may not believe in ghosts, but you do not want to live in a house where someone has died, no matter how they may have died.
3. A death in a home, especially a tragic death can impact its value by more than 25% and take it 50% longer to sell than comparable homes.
4. If you do not mind, either way, a stigmatized home can be a bargain and the information can be used as leverage to negotiate a reduced price or rent.
5. You will need to consider your privacy.  The home may now be a local tourist attraction, so be prepared for random strangers driving by staring at your house and possibly approaching you to ask questions.
   

A DiedInHouse.com Instant Report instantly provides valuable information that may impact a decision to purchase or rent a house. For more information visit https://www.diedinhouse.com/?fbclid=IwAR2LrakagewscAxSK1p5lZM3upRvjobScSaS0O3zwf1MnR1r6yHE4zuQ9_U

A Haunting in St. Joseph

A Haunting by Dennis "Doc" Cromwell

It began with the Witches' Tea, a benefit for the Albrecht-Kemper museum of Art in St. Joseph Missouri. Dozens of women, all dressed as witches, attending a luncheon or dinner with the proceeds going to the museum. As part of the festivities, a number of psychics including Hally Aarhus, Jamie Zunick and myself were there to provide readings for patrons attending the event. The museum is a modern addition to the mansion of Mr. and Mrs. William Albrecht which was built in 1933 and considered haunted particularly by employees of the museum.  Photo: http://albrecht-kemper.org/visit/ The three of us were privileged to receive a guided tour of the mansion and in particular, the areas of the mansion considered to have the most "activity". We began in the library which had a definite masculine energy about it and even though I felt comfortable and at ease, my two colleagues felt a bit uneasy being there. Our next stop was the bar area where we immediately picked up the scent of cigar smoke only to be told this was Mr. Albrecht's party room, a place where he entertained his male friends and guests. We learned that employees regularly hear voices coming from this room and have odd experiences such as lights being turned on after someone turned them out, doors opening or closing. It was here that we discovered a portal which may account for the experiences. At one point, photos of the room taken with a phone camera captured the image of a face in a decorative mirror looking out at us even though we were unaware of it until after reviewing the photos. Touring the parlor where Mrs. Albrecht entertained her friends was also of interest as we all three picked up the feeling that she may have regularly held seances in the room which coincidentally was above the party room. We surmised that the portal was opened during these seances and unfortunately never closed. The most interesting and frightening experience came when we explored the basement/storage areas. One employee stated she felt uneasy at times being in her office which was in the basement. When we asked about opening a particular door, we immediately heard three distinct knocks coming from the other side of the door. When the door was opened, we realized that what we had really heard was footsteps coming up the three steps to the landing. It was at this point that one member of our team, Hally, fell from the landing causing her to land flat on her back on the floor. She immediately stated that she felt as if she had been pushed and witnesses stated that it appeared that she was indeed pushed causing the fall.  We all sensed the presence of a large male figure that we encountered later in a room employees were afraid to enter. It was here that we experienced a definite sense of danger and considering what just happened to our team member, decided to leave rather than take the chance of provoking this spirit again. Overall, we determined there were energies of three distinct time periods from the mid-1860's to the turn of the century 1900s and lastly the post Prohibition era. Our tour of the mansion was successful but the injury sustained by the team member reminded us of how much we needed to truly watch each other's backs. __________________________________________ The Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art is open: Tuesday-Friday from 10am-4pm Saturday & Sunday from 1-4pm. We are closed Mondays and major holidays including Easter, 4th of July, Thanksgiving and the day after, Christmas Eve and Christmas, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Admissions: Adults 18 & over-$5.00, Senior Citizens-$2.00, Under 18 & Students w/valid ID-$1.00, under 6 & members-FREE, Group Rates available. ______________________________________________________________ Dennis 'Doc' Cromwell is an active PRS board member. He has a weekly Open Meditation on Wednesday evenings at Spectrum, A New Age Shop. Doc is also available for private readings and can be reached at 913-645-8296

The Lady in Blue at the Cafe Verona

The Café Verona on the Independence square in Independence, Missouri is sometimes visited by a Lady in a blue dress who is often seen sitting at a table by the front window. Patrons often think that this is just a person sitting there-  until she turns transparent and disappears in front of their eyes.   Often money goes missing from this particular table, so make sure you hand money to your waitress if you sit at this spot!  The employees and chef say that in the kitchen doors often open and close on their own, and they hear unexplained noises in the restaurant late at night. One chef even quit because of the ghostly activity in the kitchen, which got out of hand one evening. Apparently, the resident ghost doesn't like strangers in her kitchen.
 

Many people have reported seeing an older lady in a long blue dress who purposely spills alcoholic beverages that are left behind on tables after patrons leave the cafe.  Perhaps this ghost is a relic of the Temperance Movement. 

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Excerpt from the book Haunted Independence Missouri by Margie Kay

Creepy Burr Oak Woods Entity

I received the following e-mail from a man in 2006 which I just ran across again today and thought it would be a good idea to post it on the blog for everyone to see. The next time you go out to Burr Oak don’t go alone! The email is here, in entirety with no editing:

“Hello Margie:  I live here in eastern Jackson County. I heard your radio show today with you and those other ladies about ghostly apparitions and poltergeists activities and so forth. The show was interesting and thought provoking. I have an incident that happened to me about 5 years ago that I want to tell you about.

I have told very few people about this. Two of the people I told since thought I was not telling the truth or maybe I was seeing things and did not take me seriously. I was walking out at a State Park called Burr Oak Woods which I live near.

It was a very cold January day in 2001 and probably about in the nearly 20’s temp wise. I used to take long walks in the woods and I found it very relaxing. I was walking in some very dense forests in that park. After walking through a grove of big oak trees I came into a clearing.  Right in front of me was a man standing a few feet away from me.  What was strange- right away I noticed was that the man was standing with his back to me. I walked two more steps thinking he would turn and maybe say hello or something to that effect. But I immediately had a very strange feeling fall over me.

 I sensed that there was something terribly wrong.  At that point I wanted to get away from him as quickly as possible.  So I started walking away from him, always facing him.  I was really a little scared at this point because he still had his back to me.  I kept on walking backwards until I got about 100 yards or so away from him.  All this time he was still there standing with his back to me. 

When I got what I thought was a relatively safe distance away from him I put my binoculars to get a closer look at him.  As soon as I got the binoculars focused on him then at that time he turned around to look at me.  It’s as though he knew I was looking at him with the binoculars.  It was truly one of the most EVIL looking faces I ever saw on a human being. With two bad knees- I took off running and got out of the forest. One other thing that I thought was really strange: It was very cold and all this guy had on was a seemingly thin pair of slacks and a dark gray short-sleeved shirt. I remember the incident as if it were yesterday. Any thoughts or ideas as to what this might have been I would be grateful to hear. 

J. D. Grain Valley, Missouri”

Haunted Independence Missouri book released today

Just published this second edition today with updates - woohoo got it done! Now off to the next project...

 http://www.lulu.com/…/haunt…/paperback/product-23970708.html 

Paranormal researcher and psychic medium Margie Kay presents many of the most haunted locations in the city of Independence, Missouri. She and the Quest Investigation Group team investigated these sites over a period of 20 years. In this second edition of Haunted Independence, Missouri Margie discusses cases involving businesses, parks, cemeteries, and houses that are haunted by loved ones, poltergeists, shadow people and even aliens. 

ead about a haunted museum where a famous actress was born, a park with a dark shadow entity and the wife of the infamous outlaw Frank James, the lady in blue who haunts a popular restaurant, the lady in grey, and much more in this book.  Also included are a list of haunted atrractions in the area and places to go during the month of October when several locations open for haunted tours.  

Be sure to visit Independence sometime - it is very haunted!

The Haunted Chevy Tahoe that Moves on its Own

A vehicle in Sugar Creek, Missouri apparently has a mind of its own or is haunted by a spirit. The 2015 Chevy Tahoe, owned by Tarrence T. recently started acting strangely - but only when he talks about selling or trading in the vehicle.

The first incident occurred several months ago while Tarrence was driving down the street with his wife in the passenger seat. He brought up the subject of trading the vehicle for a larger pickup truck when suddenly the music he was playing stopped and the word "Message" scrolled across the screen of the radio. A few minutes later, the radio came back on and the message disappeared from the screen. The couple said that nothing like that happened before.

Video of ghost car moving on its own

On January 24, 2019 the vehicle again reacted to Tarrence and his wife, yet they didn't know about it until an hour later. The couple has a security camera system installed on their house with a monitor in their living room. Tarrence's wife decided to scroll back and look at the past couple of hours when she noticed the Tahoe suddenly move backward on the driveway. They looked at the time stamp and realized that the vehicle moved at that exact time they had been discussing selling the vehicle again.

The couple has ruled out any possibility of the vehicle having an issue that would cause it to move independently. It was in park and had been parked for hours on the driveway that has a very small slope before it moved. They checked for any recalls, and there are none. But that was not the end of the story - the exact same thing happened a week later when the subject of selling came up again!

After the three strange events occurred only while the couple discussed getting rid of the vehicle, they are of the opinion that it is just too coincidental and that the Tahoe just does not want to be sold.

Can vehicles have intelligence or is this one haunted by a spirit?  Who knows, but one thing is certain - this is a highly unusual set of circumstances.

_______________________________________

Margie Kay owns UnX Media Publishing and is a paranormal investigator in Kansas City, Missouri. She can be reached at www.margiekay.com.