Year-round walking ghost tour of Missouri's first state capital, stopping at the gallows site, a lost cemetery, the IOOF building, and documented fire and execution deaths on Historic Main Street
101 S. Main St., St. Charles, MO 63301
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Ticketed walking tour; see stcharlesghosts.com for current pricing.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Flat brick sidewalks along Historic Main Street; generally accessible
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1821 · St. Charles served as Missouri's first state capital (1821-1826) · Historic Main Street district listed on NRHP in 1970 · Documented public gallows site within tour route · Lost cemetery in the Historic Main Street corridor
St. Charles, Missouri served as the first state capital of Missouri from 1821, when Missouri achieved statehood, through 1826 when Jefferson City became the permanent capital. The town sits on the Missouri River about 20 miles northwest of St. Louis and retains one of the most complete Historic Main Street districts in Missouri, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.
The Main Street corridor preserves a documented history of public violence. A gallows site and a lost cemetery — both within the tour's walking distance — are among the physical anchors of St. Charles's dark tourism geography. The IOOF (Independent Order of Odd Fellows) building on Main Street carries its own history, and the site of Eckert's Tavern at 519 S. Main documents a 1949 fire death. These are not invented narratives but events drawn from local historical records.
St. Charles Ghost Tours has operated year-round on Friday and Saturday evenings, building an itinerary from the city's documented record of executions, suicides, and accidental deaths. The Discover St. Charles destination marketing organization has confirmed the tour in coverage of the city's ghost tourism offerings, positioning it as a complement to the Historic Main Street walking experience.
Sources
St. Charles Ghost Tours takes the approach of grounding each stop in documented historical events rather than invented lore. The gallows site on the tour route is connected to public executions recorded in local historical accounts. The lost cemetery represents a body of burials that were relocated or built over during the city's development, with paranormal accounts attached to the general area.
The IOOF building on Main Street carries accounts of unexplained sounds and presences consistent with the building's age and institutional history. Eckert's Tavern site at 519 S. Main — where a 9-year-old girl died in a 1949 fire — is among the most-cited stops, with reports of a child apparition on the block. Additional Main Street addresses tie into the tour's documented record of suicides and fire deaths across the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Evening walking tour of St. Charles's nationally registered Historic Main Street — Missouri's first state capital. Stops include the historic gallows site, a lost cemetery, the IOOF building, Eckert's Tavern fire site, and additional Main Street addresses tied to documented executions, suicides, and fire deaths. Runs Friday and Saturday year-round; tickets at stcharlesghosts.com.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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