Ghostly Happenings in Missouri

Ghostly Hotel Residents

Situated in Excelsior Springs, the Elms Hotel & Spa has become one of the most haunted places in the state. This beautiful hotel is surrounded by gardens and has a swimming pool, a spa, and an indoor pool. It is known for its natural springs and was once a favorite hangout for 1920s gangsters and gamblers, even the notorious Al Capone.

In fact, everyone enjoys their time at this hotel so much that once they depart this life, they like to come back and spend more time here. Ghostly apparitions can be seen lounging by the basement European lap pool in 1920s-style bathing suits. They can be seen sipping drinks, and a dapper gangster has been seen sitting in a corner watching the activity. Supposedly he was shot while sitting there and has chosen to hang around. The ghostly spirit of a child loves to grab swimmers by their ankles.

You can have a dance with a ghost in one of the ballrooms where chandeliers swing and wispy women in white have been seen flitting about the rooms.

The Haunting of the Jesse James Farm and Museum

Jesse James was a notorious American outlaw known for his bank and train robberies. In Kearney, Missouri, his family owned the Jesse James Farm, which today is open to tours.

Both Frank and Jesse James were raised here. When Union soldiers came looking for brother Frank, Jesse was beaten and almost hung while searching for Frank. His half brother was also killed on the farm by a bomb thrown by guards searching for James and Frank.

When James died, he was buried on the farm, and his mother would charge visitors to visit his grave. Later, his remains were taken to the Mt. Olive Cemetery.

This does not mean that James and Frank are no longer hanging out at the farm. People have heard horse hooves, gunshots, and even disembodied voices and whispers around the farm.

Penitentiary Know As “The Bloodiest 47 Acres in America”

The Missouri State Penitentiary has become one of the most haunted locations in the US. Time Magazine called it “The Bloodiest 47 Acres in America." The penitentiary opened its doors in 1836 and has a long history of violence, death, and despair.

As footsteps echo through this scary place, you can imagine the horror of the eerie solitude of Death Row and the finality of the gas chamber, where 40 inmates ended their lives.

Paranormal investigations and accounts by those who have seen the apparitions have made it known that this place is haunted. Shadowy figures walk the halls, disembodied voices are heard in abandoned cell blocks, and other unexplained paranormal occurrences happen.

These appear to be the restless spirits of former inmates incarcerated here and the guards who watched over them. Walking through this place takes bravery, as you can be confronted by full-bodied apparitions and encounter unseen forces.

Ghostly Spirit of Nadine Still at Ravenswood

In Bunceton, Ravenswood Mansion was built in 1880 by Nadien and Charles Leonard. In life this couple loved to entertain their friends with lavish parties. Nadine remained in her home until the age of 90 and even after death has chosen to stay there.

When she passed away a servant tried to enter her bedroom to collect some clothing and found the door locked from the inside. Thinking the door would have to be broken into, the servant returned with tools and found the door open.

Among the tricks Nadine plays are throwing Christmas ornaments down the stairs, making music play from a broken music box. Visitors to the house have hears laughter and music so it seems that Nadine is still throwing lavish parties now for her ghostly friends.

The Headless Cobbler

In Ava, in Smallett’s Cave, you can meet the apparition of the headless cobbler.

Back in the 1920s, two ladies walking near Spring Creek were surprised by a man stepping out from the roadside. Unfortunately, he greatly scared them being headless, having a pair of shoes strung around the stump of his neck, and a bible on his shoulder.

The women ran off, but some time after, a ghostly apparition scared two boys out riding. In this case, it was as headless rider galloping towards them on the same path.

This scary apparition lives in Smallett’s Cave, and those who pass by can hear him tapping away as he cobbles shoes. This earned the ghost the nickname of the headless cobbler.

Meet the Ghostly Apparition of Mrs. X

Situated in Boonville, Thespian Hall is the oldest operating theater west of the Appalachians. It was built in 1857 and has served as a theater, a dance hall, a library, a movie theater, a stable, a skating rink, a church, and even a Civil War hospital.

This haunted theater has become the home of a ghostly spirit named Mrs. X. She has even been captured on photos and described as having gray hair and wearing a white-collared blouse and a dark skirt.

The apparition carries a pocketbook. Her face is usually blurred. In a photo taken by an opera singer’s family, who had been performing that night, they were able to identify Mrs. X as their opera-loving grandmother. Now she sits and enjoys the opera eternally.

Other ghostly spirits have joined her, and unexplained ragtime music can be heard; wig stands move by themselves, turning so that they face the mirrors when no one is around.