Lemp Mansion
Located in St. Louis, Missouri, the Lemp Mansions stands four stories tall and has over 30 rooms within it. This home, surprisingly, was a gift. This lavish gift. was built for William Lemp, president of Lemp’s Brewery, as a wedding present from his new father-in-law. But this home would bear witness to family tragedy and become a host to more than the living.
In the beginning, the Lemp Mansion was filled with health and wealth. The Lemps would have seven children together and their family would be the toast of St. Louis society. William had been grooming his oldest son, Frederick, to take over the wildly successful Lemp Brewing company. However, in 1901 Frederick would be suddenly taken by a heart attack. He was only 28.
William would never recover from the loss of his son and, in his mind, the future of the brewery. Just a few years later, in 1904, overcome by grief William would take one more walk in his grand home and shoot himself in his office.
This wouldn’t be the end of tragedy for the Lemp’s. With Frederick gone and now the patriarch of the Lemps, William Jr. would take over the business. But William Jr. hadn’t been primed to take over the business. He and his wife, Lillian, lived an extravagant lifestyle and the business took a backseat. William Jr. loved spending his money on expensive art, and Lillian, who was eccentric and loved wearing lavender clothes, was known as the Lavender Lady.
1919 brought prohibition, forcing the closing of Lemp Brewing. While other breweries pivoted or tried new ventures, William Jr. was too busy spending money to think about making it.
The oldest Lemp child would also follow the path of her father and, in 1920, even as one of the richest women in St. Louis, Elsa Lemp bid the world goodbye (not in the mansion, though).
In 1922, William Jr. sold the business at a worthless 8 cents on the dollar. He would also follow Elsa and his father in death. His body was found in the office chair at the Lemp Mansion, exactly where his father had been found almost 20 years prior. Fast forward to 1949 Charles, 77 at the time, would also decide to meet his own end in the basement of the Lemp Mansion.
Edwin would finally sell the Lemp family mansion and would die, of natural causes, in 1970. He never married and had no heirs.
The lavish home began to deteriorate and would go on to become a boarding house for some time. In 1977, it was purchased by Dick Pointer and Dick Pointer Jr., who planned to restore the grand home and make it a hotel and restaurant.
However, as the renovation began, strange things began to happen. Dick Pointer Jr. decided to live in the home as renovations continued and began to hear strange noises that were out of time. Horses hooves, door slams, and he felt watched. Various workmen would quit shortly after starting their work, claiming to be too spooked to continue.
But the renovation being complete was not enough to quiet the unrestful spirits and energies that lurked within the home. Guests and employees alike would see glasses flying through the air in the restaurants, disembodied voices, and even strange “filmy” apparitions. Some witnesses even claim to see the Lavender Lady, Lillian, floating about the halls.
But not all of the disruptions are so lively. Many who enter the office claim to feel instantly oppressed and saddened. As if sadness could cling to marble, even after all these years.
Currently, the mansion is open to the public as is the restaurant. It is even open regularly for ghost tours and ghostly explorations of the home, where you can learn more about the alleged resident haunts.
I would avoid the office, though. According to articles, during the renovation it became a front dining room.
Thank you David G. for this blogstonishing suggestion!
The blog image is from MattHucke and is of Lemp Mansion, St. Louis, Missouri. A reportedly haunted house, now a restaurant and Bed & Breakfast. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.