The Lemp Mansion is the rare chance to sleep inside one of the most famous haunted houses in America. The Victorian mansion in the Benton Park neighborhood of St. Louis was home to the Lemp family, whose brewery was once among the largest in the country before Prohibition and the family's own tragedies brought it down. The tragedies are what made the house infamous: William Lemp Sr. died by suicide in the house in 1904, his son William Jr. did the same in 1922, and another son, Charles, followed in 1949, while a daughter died by suicide elsewhere. After decades as a boarding house, the mansion was restored in the 1970s as a restaurant, inn and event venue by the family that still runs it, and its ghost reputation has grown ever since, with staff and guests reporting footsteps, slamming doors and presences tied to the Lemps. The inn is small, with four named suites and rooms including the Lavender Suite, the William Lemp Suite, the Elsa Lemp Room and the Louis and Frederick Lemp Suite, decorated in period style with antiques. The restaurant serves hearty traditional dinners, and the house hosts tours and events. Important for planning: the mansion is listed for sale after nearly 50 years with the same family, and it plans to keep the restaurant, inn and tours running through the end of 2027, so this is a stay to book sooner rather than later. Fit: committed haunted-stay seekers, history buffs, couples with a taste for the Gothic and Halloween travelers in St. Louis.
The history is genuinely tragic and the reason the house matters: the Lemps rose with German St. Louis brewing, built a commercial empire and a network of caves and tunnels for lagering beer beneath the neighborhood, and then lost it all as illness, family breakdown and Prohibition took their toll. The mansion's restoration preserved the grand rooms, and the antiques that furnish them stay with the building in the sale. The house was built in the early 1860s, and the chain of tragedy began with the unexpected death in 1901 of Frederick Lemp, William Sr.'
s favored son and heir; his father's decline ended in suicide three years later. The brewery, best known for Falstaff beer, closed under Prohibition, and the plant was sold off in 1922, the year William Jr. took his own life. Staff and guests describe footsteps on the main staircase, a woman's presence associated with Elsa's room and doors that open on their own, and the mansion's ghost tours tell the stories room by room.
Room craft
The inn has only a handful of rooms, so book well ahead, especially in October; choose the suite whose family story interests you most and read up before you go. Dinner in the mansion is part of the experience, and guests should expect an old house with creaks, stairs and character rather than hotel polish.
Practicals
3322 DeMenil Place, Benton Park, St. Louis; a short drive from downtown and the Arch; the Anheuser-Busch brewery is nearby for the brewing-history pairing. Fit: a haunted Missouri weekend with the Missouri State Penitentiary two hours west, and a stay to book while the current owners are still at the helm.
Why stay here
- ✓Four period suites and rooms
- ✓Victorian antiques throughout
- ✓On-site restaurant
- ✓Mansion tours and events
- ✓Lemp family history
- ✓Benton Park historic district
- ✓Near the Anheuser-Busch brewery
- ✓Short drive to the Gateway Arch
Good questions
Is the Lemp Mansion closing?+
It is for sale after nearly 50 years with the same family, but it plans to keep the restaurant, inn and tours running through the end of 2027. Book sooner rather than later.
Why is the house considered haunted?+
Three members of the Lemp brewing family died by suicide in the house between 1904 and 1949, and staff and guests have reported footsteps, slamming doors and presences for decades.
How many rooms are there?+
Only a handful: the Lavender Suite, the William Lemp Suite, the Elsa Lemp Room and the Louis and Frederick Lemp Suite. They book up early, especially in October. Dinner in the mansion restaurant is a natural part of a stay.
