Lemp Mansion: one of America’s ten most haunted houses
Lemp Mansion. His story has it all. From wealth to suicide, from beer barons to eccentrics, this stone mansion was built in 1868 and reigned over the social elite of St. Louis, Missouri for nearly a decade. Frequent visitors included the great horror Vincent Price, visiting dignitaries and the Upper Bark of St. Louis. Built on a cavern of twisted underground cave systems, its secret corridors, dark corridors, and suicide story are home to paranormal events that occur daily at the famous Bed and Breakfast.
During my initial investigation of Lemp Mansion, I was struck by the heavy atmosphere inside. An immaculate white facade doesn’t prepare you for the dark oak paneling, imposing staircase, and stained glass windows inside. There is a feeling of leaving the 21st century at your front door as you enter a world created by the incredibly wealthy inhabitants of the Golden Age of beer. You have the feeling that you are entering someone else’s environment; a voyeuristic feeling hovering over the entrance, as if the mansion’s owners have simply walked out and returned soon to find a stranger walking on their old-fashioned floorboards. This sense remains as you glimpse the first-floor lounges, dining rooms, and antique bathrooms that still house original marble bathtubs, beveled glass windows, and 19th-century tiles.
So what happened in this house where money was not an issue and a brewing dynasty was created? It all started with the sudden death of William Jacob Lemp’s youngest son, Frederick. William never recovered from the shock and then shot himself in the upstairs bedroom.
The family curse continued when Elsa Lemp Wright, William’s only daughter and the richest woman in St. Louis at the time, shot herself in the heart one morning as her husband showered in their master bathroom at a luxury mansion not far away. from Lemp’s house. . Her suicide occurred just 12 days after she remarried her ex-husband, causing the suspension to weigh on the exact movements of that morning. The fact that her husband waited several hours to report the death only aroused an insatiable appetite for information about the strange death of another of the city’s wealthy.
After William Lemp committed suicide, the torch of the dynasty passed to William’s second son, Billy Lemp, who was reluctant to navigate the heavy burden of running a gigantic brewery business with the popularity of his biggest competitor, Anheuser Busch. . When prohibition, declining sales, and depression took hold of him, Billy also shot himself into what is now the dining room to the left of the mansion’s front door.
Three firearm suicides in a family. One would think that the mantle that hangs over this house would be satisfied. However, there would be a fourth and final death in the house in 1949 when Charles Lemp, the third son, shot himself in his room. He had become a notorious hermit and germ phobia in the days leading up to his suicide. Due to their fear of contamination, money was laundered, shoes were left outside the door (and washed), and visitors were not encouraged. One of the few people allowed to enter the dark sanctuary was horror movie star Vincent Price, who had been friends with Charles.
On the morning of Charles’s death, two shots rang out in the silent house. There were only two servants in residence. Mr. Lemp shot his trusty dog and then himself. He didn’t want to leave the dog alone without him. And here the gruesome tragedies of Lemp Mansion end … or not?
During my two-night stay at the mansion, I was surprised by the myriad of paranormal occurrences. For a lady who has slept in beds in some of the most haunted places in the world, this is quite a confession.
My first night there I was given the attic room where a lot of activity has been reported. I was not disappointed. A little before one in the morning, something started kicking the edge of my bed. My impression at the time was that he felt like a smug child kicking the wall. At 5:30 in the same morning, I was awakened by pressure on both sides of my feet through the blanket. The room was still dark and it took all my courage to reach for my cell phone and shine its light at my feet, not knowing what the little glow would illuminate. There, on either side of my feet, were two little prints on the blanket that looked like little boy’s shoes. The footprints remained long after the sensation of weight disappeared. Later I was told that a small child had died in that attic room; a deformed child belonging to the Lemp family.
The next night I was given Lavender Lady’s room on the second floor. It is a spacious suite with a bathroom with a claw-shaped bathtub and a living room. A ghost tour was taking place in the hallways when I entered my room. My sister and nephew who live in St. Louis had come to spend the night with me. Just as I flopped onto the bed, the antique chandelier above me turned into a frenzy of flickering lights. It continued for several minutes, while my sister whimpered next to me. I finally thought of my phone and grabbed it, clicking the camera and turning it to video. I filmed the erratic blinking and then started asking him questions. I asked her to stop blinking if it was because someone in the room had died causing it. He immediately stopped. Then I asked him to blink once if the person causing the interference died in that room. He blinked once. By now, my sister is begging me to “stop talking to her.” This continued for another 5 minutes and finally the “verbal” volleyball ended. The brightness of the light was stable and did not answer my questions.
The next morning at 5:15 AM, as I lay in bed preparing to get up and pack for an airplane flight, I heard two loud shots from outside the bedroom door. I felt like ice water had been poured into my veins. My heart was beating. Shortly after the gun reports came the barking of what sounded like a large dog. There are no pets at Lemp Mansion and the staff does not report until 10 am. My nephew woke up and said he had just heard a big dog. He did not hear the shots.
Charles Lemp shot his dog and then himself early that fateful morning in 1949. I firmly believe that I heard what is called a residual spell: a looping replayed from the past.
To date, Lemp Mansion is the most haunted place I have come across. I encourage you to visit this famous B&B in St. Louis. One tip … take a flashlight!
