The Haunting of Griggs Mansion

Griggs Mansion – Ramsey County, Saint Paul, Minnesota

Photograph ©Joe Hoover

Address:
476 Summit Avenue
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55102

A wealthy business man named Chauncey Griggs built this beautiful home in 1883. Mr. Griggs made his fortune in the wholesale grocery business and only stayed in Griggs mansion for a short time before moving his business to the west coast. For the most part, the home has been purchased by private home owners over the last century except for a twenty-five year period where it was used as an art school.

This house is said to have at least six entities that roam its floors; making it the most haunted home in all of Saint Paul. A few of the apparitions have been identified; however, a couple still remain a mystery.

On the fourth floor, a maid who worked in the house hung herself off of the landing in 1915. The apparition of this poor woman has appeared in full-bodied form to several of the houses employees and occupants over the years. Many who have ventured up the stairway to this floor have reported a sense of emending doom or a sense of foreboding. Some have heard the sound of heavy footsteps on the stairs themselves when no person could be seen coming up or down them; this sound is usually accompanied by the feeling of a strong presence and an overwhelming sense of fear.

A second apparition reported to haunt various parts of the house is an older gentleman whose identity is unknown. This specter is reported to appear in solid form and has been described as tall, thin and wearing a black suit and top hat. This unidentified spirit has been claimed to touch people with his icy cold hands, appear at the foot of occupied beds during the night and disappear into walls.

The apparition of a small child has appeared to a few people back in the late 1950’s. They claimed that they awoke in the middle of the night to find the see-through image of this child’s head floating above their beds and then it quickly dissipated.

The presence of two other spirits has been felt by a medium who visited the house. The spiritualist described these entities as a young woman named Amy and an older Civil War officer.

Some of the other paranormal activities to plague this house are the usual; windows and doors opening and closing on their own, light bulbs shattering for no apparent reason, items being knocked off of shelves or thrown across rooms by unseen hands and the sounds of voices or coughs coming from empty rooms.

* Warning: This home is privately owned and trespassing will not be tolerated.

The Haunting of the Wabasha Street Caves

Wabasha Street Caves – Ramsey County, Saint Paul, Minnesota

Photograph ©mestes76

From the outside, the Wabasha Street Caves looks like a normal building. The structure itself was built into the side of a cliff back in the late eighteen-hundreds and used for mining silica.

Over the years, this structure has been popular as a gangster hideout, a place for mushroom farmers to grow their products, nightclubs and more. Today the Wabasha Street Caves offer fine dining, entertainment and tours.

The paranormal reports here continue to this day. The apparition of a gentleman wearing a Panama hat has been seen in various areas of the caves. Another male apparition is said to spend his time with a female apparition at the bar and the two are often seen together around three in the morning. Also, a second female apparition has been spotted roaming throughout the passageways.

In the early 1930’s, three gangsters were reportedly gunned down within the caves. One of the gangster’s apparitions has been seen in full-bodied, solid form and has appeared right in front of unsuspecting patrons in the cave corridors! All three of the gangster’s apparitions have been seen by a few children and have even been reported to play with them before disappearing into thin air!

Address:
215 Wabasha Street South
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55107
(651) 292-1220
Website

The Haunting of the Landmark Center

Landmark Center – Ramsey County, Saint Paul, Minnesota

Photograph ©MNkiteman

No, this isn’t Cinderella’s castle and no, it’s not one of the castles of Scotland…believe-it-or-not, this is the “Landmark Center” located in the U.S.’s own Minnesota!

This building was constructed in the late eighteen-early nineteen hundreds, costing a whopping 2.5 million; that was a pretty heavy price tag for that time! Originally the Landmark Center was used for Saint Paul’s post office and the court system. Today the Landmark Center houses the American Association of Woodturners Gallery, the Ramsey County Historical Society Gallery, the Schubert Club Musical Instrument Museum, the Landmark Center Archive Gallery, the Frederick King Weyerhaeuser Auditorium and several courtrooms.

In addition to all of its businesses, this building is also said to house a few apparitions. The spirit of a Mr. Jack Peifer, former gangster, is said to cause most of the paranormal activity. Apparently Jack committed suicide after receiving a thirty year prison sentence to be carried out in the Leavenworth Prison.

Jack’s apparition has been seen on the elevators, as well as, in one of the second floor ladies rooms. This awnry entity is said to make elevators go up and down, open and close doors and toilets, and scare people by touching them or laughing right behind them when his presence cannot be seen.

Jack is also accused of tipping bottles of alcohol over, shattering shot glasses and showing up in photos during celebrations that are held in the Landmark Center.

Address:
75 West Fifth Street
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55102
(651) 292-3233
Website