Est. 1870 · Victorian Architecture · St. Paul Commercial History · Historic Restaurant
Joseph Forepaugh arrived in Saint Paul by riverboat in 1858 and established a dry goods company that grew to become one of the largest in the Upper Midwest. By 1864, the firm's annual sales reached half a million dollars. At age 36, Forepaugh invested $10,000 to build the mansion at 276 Exchange Street South — a substantial Victorian residence appropriate to his commercial standing.
Forepaugh retired from active business in the 1880s and traveled to Paris with his wife Mary and their five children. The family later moved to a home on Summit Avenue. Joseph Forepaugh died on August 13, 1892, at age 58, by a self-inflicted gunshot in woods near Selby and Hamline. Contemporaneous newspaper accounts noted his mental deterioration in the months prior.
After the Forepaugh family's departure, the mansion declined gradually, operating for a period as a boarding house before city authorities shut it down in 1973. A private company reopened it as a restaurant in 1976. A major renovation in 2007 by Bruce Taher — whose food service company operates across 25 states — produced what the Star Tribune called sumptuous dining. The restaurant closed in 2019 during COVID-related disruptions. A second comprehensive restoration returned Forepaugh's to operation in 2024, now rededicated as a premier St. Paul dining destination with hours Tuesday through Saturday, 3:30 PM to 10:30 PM.
Sources
- https://forepaughs.com/about-forepaughs/
- https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/forepaughs-restaurant-reopens-st-pauls-renovation/
- https://www.americanghostwalks.com/forepaughs-restuarant-st-paul-minnesota
ApparitionsPhantom smellsLights flickeringCold spotsEVP
The haunting at Forepaugh's involves two named figures with documented connections to the building's history.
Molly was a young Irish domestic worker employed at the mansion. According to a story that circulates consistently across multiple independent sources, she entered into a relationship with Joseph Forepaugh. When his wife Mary became aware of the arrangement, Molly was dismissed. Accounts of what followed diverge: some say she died by suicide, others that she disappeared entirely. Her presence is reported most often on the third floor — in the room now known as Molly's Table, which has been the most-requested reservation in the restaurant since at least the 1990s. Guests describe the faint scent of lavender perfume in this area, and some report catching a glimpse of a young woman in period clothing at the edge of their peripheral vision, most often near wedding parties.
Joseph Forepaugh's spirit is reported separately: a male figure in dark formal clothing, moving through the dining rooms or descending toward the basement. Former general manager Mimi Doran, who worked at the restaurant for years before the 2019 closure, said in a CBS Minnesota feature that staff experienced unexplained phenomena every day. A single light on the third floor would switch back on after closing — always the same light, always the same floor. 'That's Molly's light,' Doran said.
A third presence, identified in paranormal investigations as a child named Michael, has been noted in the lower level. The specific accounts connecting Michael to the building's history are thin, sourced primarily from investigation reports rather than the historical record.
Since Forepaugh's reopened in 2024 under its restored Victorian interior, the third floor reservations have again filled quickly. The restaurant makes no formal paranormal programming available, but its reputation requires no advertisement.
Notable Entities
MollyJoseph ForepaughMichael
