Stillwater Territorial Prison · St. Croix River Lumber Trade
American Ghost Walks' Stillwater program covers the town the operator's site calls 'often called the birthplace of Minnesota,' framing its route around the community's territorial-era prison, its lumber-baron wealth, and its riverfront trade along the St. Croix River. The standard Stillwater Ghost Walk meets at 401 Main Street South, near the intersection of Main and Nelson, and runs 90 minutes on Friday and Saturday evenings at 7 PM.
A separate Stillwater Bachelorette Ghost Tours package covers the same stops -- the Lowell Inn, Water Street Inn, and Warden's House Museum -- in a customizable 2-to-4-hour format starting at $34.99 per person, with an optional haunted pub crawl. American Ghost Walks also operates tours in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Red Wing, Minnesota, part of a broader multi-city brand with programs across the Midwest, Maine, and beyond.
The operator's Stillwater pages do not state a founding year or tour developer for this specific route, unlike the Minneapolis and St. Paul programs.
Sources
- https://www.americanghostwalks.com/stillwater
- https://www.americanghostwalks.com/stillwater-minnesota-bachelorette-ghost-tours
ApparitionsPhantom FootstepsUnexplained Object Movement
The Stillwater Ghost Walk and its bachelorette-tour variant both center on three downtown buildings. The Lowell Inn, built in 1927 and marketed by the operator as the 'Mt. Vernon of the Midwest,' is described as having hosted celebrity guests including Johnny Cash and Lucille Ball, alongside reported guests the operator's copy suggests 'may have never checked out.' The Water Street Inn, a former lumber-baron property dating to 1890, is tied by the operator to reports of phantom footsteps and moving glassware. The Warden's House Museum, former home to thirteen wardens of the Stillwater territorial prison over six decades, is described by the operator as a site of reported activity 'for nearly a century.'
The bachelorette-tour page also references a local legend the operator calls 'Fisherman John,' said to have searched the St. Croix River for missing bodies; this is presented as local folklore rather than a documented account tied to a specific place.
All of this is the tour operator's own marketing and narrative material, not documented history verified independently for this listing; it is included here as a description of what the tours cover, not as an endorsement of any specific claim.
Media Appearances
- Stillwater Gazette
- The Minnesota Daily
- MSP Magazine
