Ghostly Happenings in Minnesota

Floating Balloons and Hanging Ghostly Apparitions

In Minneapolis, the iconic First Avenue Theater has become a haunted music venue.

Within the theater, a blonde woman hung herself in the fifth stall of the ladies' room. Unfortunate patrons have seen her bloated apparition still hanging by a makeshift noose.

She is joined by another ghost the staff have named "Slippy." The unusual thing about this ghostly apparition is that he can make a balloon appear, and then it floats up and down the staircase. Other unexplained phenomena are equipment malfunction and random destruction of property.

The Ghost of Ben

In St. Paul, the Fitzgerald Theater is among the most haunted places in Minnesota. The unexplained phenomenon that occurs here is apparently the ghostly work of a former stagehand named Ben, who died in the theater in the 1940s.

His ghostly shadow has been seen moving up in the workings of the stage, and cold spots can be felt near an old entrance that has been boarded up for years. Staff say they can hear Ben dropping empty beer bottles. Most of this is a harmless spirit who decided to hang around the theater, but one must be aware. One time two workers almost got a massive chunk of plaster dropped on them but managed to jump out of the way. Perhaps Ben wanted to have some company in his ghostly world.

Haunted by Molly and Joseph

The three-story Victorian house that was once built by Joseph Forepaugh for his family in St. Paul is now home to the Forepaugh’s Restaurant.

Things came to a tragic end in 1892 when Mrs. Forepaugh found her husband in bed with the family maid, Molly. Facing the end of his marriage Forepaugh shot himself and left Molly heartbroken. Discovering that she was pregnant, Molly hung herself from a chandelier in one of the bedrooms.

Today both Molly and Joseph haunt the restaurant. Both of them have been seen walking through the dining areas. Molly can be heard banging on the walls and smashing glasses. When she is around, people can smell the scent of her lavender perfume. Her ghost is most active around Halloween, which was her favorite time of the year.

Unexplained Paranormal Phenomenon

The Palmer House Hotel has long been known as one of the most haunted hotels in Minnesota.

Some of the unexplained phenomena in the hotel have been an apparition of a young boy, a ball bouncing down the stairs, disembodied voices, and supposedly the ghostly apparition of the famous author Sinclair Lewis.

Author Sinclair Lewis worked at the Palmer House Hotel in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, during his youth. He served as a night clerk at the establishment for two summers before achieving fame as a Nobel Prize-winning writer. Lewis used the hotel as the model for the Minniemashie House in his 1920 novel Main Street.

Ghostly Apparitions of Gangsters

In St. Paul, the Wabasha Street Caves were a popular place during the Prohibition Era. They played host to famous figures, among them John Dillinger and Ma Barker.

Unfortunately, not everyone left this place alive, and now three gangster ghosts who were murdered in a back room and buried beneath cement haunt the place.

The owner has seen men in the dress of the 1920s and seen strange mists floating through the halls. If you're lucky, you will meet the ghostly bartender who refills empty wine glasses.

Finally, with all this ghostly activity, there is also the ghost of Nina Clifford, once a madam who appears in period dress.

Ghostly Spirits of Suicides

The University of Minnesota’s East and West Bank Campuses are connected by the Washington Avenue Bridge. It was constructed in the second half of the 1960s to cross the Mississippi River. There are two decks on the bridge—one for cars and one for bikers and pedestrians.

Among the ghostly spirits is that of Professor John Berryman, who committed suicide in 1972 and now roams the bridge. He is joined by others who took their lives, leaping to their deaths from the bridge. The bridge became a suicide hotspot. At night, students can hear ghostly footsteps while crossing the bridge and have the feeling someone is observing them from the shadows.

The Ghostly Apparition of Gertrude

In Stillwater, thirteen different wardens from the Stillwater State Prison have occupied the house that is today the Warden’s House Museum.

The house is haunted by Warden Henry Wolfer’s daughter, Gertrude. The woman had just given birth to a son when she died suddenly of appendicitis. The baby boy was sent to live with the warden up until the Wolfers moved out in 1914 but it was the place where Gertrude had given birth to the boy.

To this day the ghostly apparition of a woman has been seen wandering through the house searching for her son; sometimes she is seen looking out the windows, and in the upstairs bedroom the cradle rocks by itself.