HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena, as catalogued
+ 4 further entries on record
A 1917 building at 111 Bird Street reputed to have been a purpose-built brothel; accounts differ on who built and later ran it. LulaBelle's, an earlier restaurant and B&B there, has closed; the building now operates as the Riverside Inn Hannibal.
111 Bird St, Hannibal, MO 63401
Research updated September 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Operates as the Riverside Inn Hannibal, part of Lighthouse Hospitality. LulaBelle's, the previous restaurant and B&B brand, has closed. Check current Riverside Inn rates and policies directly.
Access
Limited Access
Two-story historic commercial building; multiple staircases.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1917 · Hannibal's reputed historic brothel building · Brothel use reported from 1917 into the mid-20th century · Featured stop on Haunted Hannibal Ghost Tour
The two-story building at 111 Bird Street was built in 1917. The Paranormal Task Force profile credits Sarah Smith, a madam from Chicago, with designing it specifically as a brothel and calls it the only Hannibal bordello purpose-built for the trade. A local historical account instead describes a two-story building from the same period and names Smith only as a possible first operator, without confirming she built it.
Accounts differ on who operated the building after Smith and for how long the brothel use continued; a regional paranormal account names Bessie Heolscher as a later madam, while a local historical account describes a longer chain of later owners and uses. The riverfront-adjacent location served Hannibal's steamboat and rail traffic during this period.
In the late 20th century the building was converted into a restaurant and bed and breakfast operating under the LulaBelle's brand. The LulaBelle's operation became a Hannibal tourism fixture and a regular stop on the Haunted Hannibal Ghost Tour, with the brothel-era history and Bessie Heolscher's biography forming the core of tour narration.
LulaBelle's has since closed, and the building operates today as the Riverside Inn Hannibal, part of Lighthouse Hospitality. Visitors should verify current operations directly before planning a visit.
Sources
The LulaBelle's paranormal record is unusually detailed for a regional ghost-tour site, largely because the Paranormal Task Force conducted multiple documented investigations of the building during its restaurant/B&B years and published room-by-room findings.
The most-cited and most-unusual phenomenon is twisted silverware: per the Paranormal Task Force account, individual forks and spoons in the dining areas were repeatedly found bent or twisted into pretzel-like shapes, in some cases between investigations on the same evening. The dining and kitchen areas have produced repeated reports of items moved or thrown, dishes shifted, and chairs displaced.
Upstairs in what had been the bordello's working rooms — and later the B&B's guest accommodations — visitors reported being touched lightly, having room doors locked and unlocked by unseen forces, shadow figures crossing the hallway, and disembodied voices and footsteps. A recurring apparition described as a 'Lady in White' is reported in upper-floor mirrors and reflections.
The haunting is attributed in regional ghost-tour narration to Bessie Heolscher, the later-period madam, plus a roster of women who worked at the bordello and several former clients. Whether the paranormal activity has continued under the Riverside Inn successor operation is not documented in the published ghost-feature ecosystem; the LulaBelle's-era reports are the source layer for everything ghost-related at this address.
Notable Entities
The building currently operates as the Riverside Inn Hannibal. The haunted-brothel narrative and most published ghost reports attach to the LulaBelle's-era branding. Verify current accommodations and policies directly.
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