A National Register hotel open since 1875 that served as a temporary morgue for 98 victims of the 1890 Sea Wing disaster; Clara Lillyblad, who managed the hotel until her death in 1972, is said to haunt Room 310.
406 Main St, Red Wing, MN 55066
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$$
Hotel room rates vary by season and room type; see st-james-hotel.com for current pricing. Dining available on-site.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Downtown Red Wing Main Street; flat sidewalk approach. Elevator access within hotel.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1875 · Listed on the National Register of Historic Places · Served as a temporary morgue for 98 victims of the 1890 Sea Wing disaster · Operated continuously by Clara Lillyblad from 1931 to her death in 1972 — 41 years under single proprietorship
The St. James Hotel was constructed in 1874–1875 to serve the commercial traffic moving through Red Wing, then a major pottery and grain shipping center on the Mississippi River. Its Italianate design placed it among the more architecturally ambitious commercial buildings in the region, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of that character.
On the evening of July 13, 1890, the excursion steamer Sea Wing capsized on Lake Pepin during a sudden squall on its return from a daylong pleasure cruise. Of the approximately 215 passengers aboard, 98 drowned — making it the deadliest inland waterway disaster in Minnesota history. Because 77 of the dead were Red Wing residents, the community was overwhelmed by grief and logistical need. The St. James Hotel was converted to a temporary morgue to handle the recovery of victims, a role that local accounts describe as lasting several days while bodies were retrieved from the lake.
Clara Nelson arrived in Red Wing from Fergus Falls in 1914 and began waiting tables at the St. James. She later married the hotel's manager, Charles Lillyblad, and the two ran the property together — Charles overseeing finances, Clara managing the front of house and kitchen. After Charles died in 1931, Clara continued as sole proprietor for four more decades, operating the hotel until her own death in 1972. She lived in the hotel during those years, and Room 310 is identified as her personal quarters.
Sources
The St. James Hotel carries two distinct paranormal histories that overlap in guest reports. The first is Clara Lillyblad herself — the woman who ran the hotel for four decades and apparently never fully left. Accounts from guests and staff describe cold spots concentrated near Room 310, furniture found moved from where it was left the night before, and an atmospheric unease in that part of the corridor. The room is now requested by visitors specifically because of its reputation.
The second thread connects the hotel's 1890 role as a temporary morgue. American Ghost Walks, which operates the Red Wing Ghost Walk, documents a construction worker apparition in one section of the building and reported activity in the basement that some investigators have attributed to the Sea Wing disaster's emotional weight on the community. KROC AM's coverage of the hotel's 150-year history included interviews referencing ongoing ghost hunter interest in the property.
Floating anomalies described by some guests — lights that appear and disappear in the upper hallways — have made their way into paranormal tourism accounts without clear historical attribution. The Sea Wing connection is historically verified; the specific paranormal claims tied to it are lore rather than documented evidence.
Notable Entities
Book a room in the 1875 hotel, including Room 310 — the room Clara Lillyblad occupied until her death in 1972. Guests requesting the room for its paranormal reputation do so through the standard reservations process.
The St. James is a featured stop on American Ghost Walks' Red Wing Ghost Walk, with guides covering the Sea Wing morgue history, Clara Lillyblad's long tenure, and documented guest reports from throughout the building.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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