The Most Haunted Places in Missouri
Missouri has 147 documented haunted locations in the HauntBound index.
Top 10 identified after source-level analysis of the 22 strongest Missouri candidates.
By the numbers
- Total documented
- 147
- Cemetery / Burial Ground
- 22
- Museum / Historical Site
- 18
- Haunted Hotel / Inn
- 18
- Family-friendly
- 143
- Bookable
- 48
- Oldest documented site
- St. Charles Borromeo Lost Cemetery (1750)
- Most-reported phenomenon
- apparitions
Ranked
- 1. Epperson House HauntBound identified five distinct published accounts at this historic home, across six kinds of published source. Eight later publications retell those accounts. Reported phenomena include electrical anomalies and phantom footsteps. 5 original accounts · documented across 4 decades, 1942-2020 · retold in 8 later publications
- 2. Lemp Mansion Built in 1868 as the Lemp brewing family's residence, this St. Louis mansion later became the brewery's offices. The Lemps pioneered American lager brewing, using the natural cave system beneath south St. Louis for cold storage before mechanical refrigeration existed, and William Lemp Sr. later installed the first mechanical refrigeration system in an American brewery. The mansion became a restaurant in 1975 and today operates as a restaurant and inn. 6 original accounts · documented across 4 decades, 1960-2023 · retold in 8 later publications
- 3. Landers Theatre HauntBound identified five distinct published accounts at this working theater, across three kinds of published source. Six later publications retell those accounts. Reported phenomena include apparitions and objects moving. 5 original accounts · documented across 2 decades, 1920-1990 · retold in 6 later publications Disputed by the venue. The theater's longtime technical director has said he invented one of its ghost stories, pointing tour groups to carpet stains and telling them a man had been stabbed to death there, purely to spook visitors.
- 4. Devil's Promenade (Hornet Spook Light Road) HauntBound identified three distinct published accounts at this outdoor site, across four kinds of published source. Three later publications retell those accounts. Reported phenomena include electrical anomalies. 3 original accounts · documented across 7 decades, 1836-2023 · retold in 3 later publications
- 5. Avilla HauntBound identified four distinct published accounts at this outdoor site. Seven later publications retell those accounts. Reported phenomena include apparitions and shadow figures. Documented since 1856 · 8 independent sources
- 6. Lehmann House Bed and Breakfast Financier Edward Rowse built this 26-room Romanesque mansion in 1893 as a retirement home, but reportedly died of a painful illness in the master bedroom soon after moving in. The property later took its name from owners Frederick and Nora Lehmann, who lived there for 31 years, and has run as a bed and breakfast since the 1990s. The innkeeper attributes footsteps and whispers to Rowse. 3 original accounts · documented across 4 decades, 1970-2021 · retold in 4 later publications
- 7. Rockcliffe Mansion HauntBound identified four distinct published accounts at this working hotel, across three kinds of published source. Four later publications retell those accounts. Reported phenomena include apparitions and electrical anomalies. 4 original accounts · documented across 2 decades, 1902-1924 · retold in 4 later publications
- 8. Powell Hall (Powell Symphony Hall) HauntBound identified three distinct published accounts at this working theater, across three kinds of published source. One later publication retells those accounts. Reported phenomena include apparitions and electrical anomalies. 3 original accounts · documented across 3 decades, 2001-2025 · retold in 1 later publication
- 9. Pythian Castle HauntBound identified three distinct published accounts at this documented site. Three later publications retell those accounts. Reported phenomena include cold spots and disembodied voices. 3 original accounts · documented across 4 decades, 1993-2021 · retold in 3 later publications
- 10. Missouri State Penitentiary The Missouri State Penitentiary opened in 1836 as the first prison west of the Mississippi and ran 168 years, holding up to 5,000 inmates and carrying out 40 gas-chamber executions. A 1954 riot left four dead, earning the name 'the bloodiest 47 acres in America.' Guides in Housing Unit 4 report a metallic clink like coins on the floor, and staff in solitary confinement report being poked by a guard who died in 1932. 2 original accounts · documented across 2 decades, 1954-2025 · retold in 3 later publications
By city
- St. Louis: 14 documented sites
- Springfield: 12 documented sites
- Hannibal: 10 documented sites
- St. Charles: 8 documented sites
- Cape Girardeau: 7 documented sites
- Kansas City: 6 documented sites
- Branson: 6 documented sites
- Saint Joseph: 5 documented sites
- Carthage: 4 documented sites
- Columbia: 4 documented sites
- 66 more across the rest of Missouri
Press images
- Epperson House Nightryder84, CC BY-SA 4.0, via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Epperson_House_UMKC.jpg hauntbound.com/images/locations/missouri/epperson-house/hero.jpg
- Lemp Mansion Paul Sableman, CC BY 2.0, via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lemp_Mansion_2012.jpg hauntbound.com/images/locations/missouri/lemp-mansion/hero.jpg
- Landers Theatre Rob Kinney, CC BY-SA 3.0, via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Landers_Facade_311_E_Walnut.JPG hauntbound.com/images/locations/missouri/landers-theatre/hero.jpg
- Avilla Eric Swanger, CC BY-SA 3.0, via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AvillaPostOffice.jpg hauntbound.com/images/locations/missouri/avilla/hero.jpg
- Lehmann House Bed and Breakfast Warren LeMay (w_lemay), CC BY-SA 2.0, via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rowe-Lehmann_House,_Benton_Place,_Lafayette_Square,_St._Louis,_MO.jpg hauntbound.com/images/locations/missouri/lehmann-house/hero.jpg
- Rockcliffe Mansion Smallbones hauntbound.com/images/locations/missouri/rockcliffe-mansion/hero.jpg
- Powell Hall (Powell Symphony Hall) Big Brother 1984, CC BY-SA 3.0, via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:782px-Powell_Symphony_Hall.jpg hauntbound.com/images/locations/missouri/powell-hall/hero.jpg
- Pythian Castle JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD, CC BY-SA 4.0, via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pythian_Home_of_Missouri_-_Green_County_MO_retouched.jpg hauntbound.com/images/locations/missouri/pythian-castle/hero.jpg
- Missouri State Penitentiary CosmiCataclysm, CC BY-SA 3.0, via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Missouri_State_Penitentiary,_Jefferson_City.jpg hauntbound.com/images/locations/missouri/missouri-state-penitentiary/hero.jpg
Images listed here may be republished with the credit shown; all other HauntBound images are not offered for press use.
Superlatives
- Oldest documented site: St. Charles Borromeo Lost Cemetery Documented since 1750.
- Most documented: Lemp Mansion 6 distinct published accounts.
- Top haunted stay: Lehmann House Bed and Breakfast Overnight stays bookable.
- Most family-friendly: Wilson's Creek National Battlefield Family Comfort rating: High.
Methodology
For purposes of the HauntBound Index, "most haunted" means the location with the strongest documented record of reported haunting phenomena. We evaluate the quantity, independence, persistence, and documentary quality of published reports. We do not attempt to determine whether paranormal phenomena are real, and we never count a source that only establishes a building's history as evidence of haunting claims. Repetitive coverage is subject to diminishing returns, so a story retold many times does not outrank a story independently documented. Rankings never consider commercial relationships.
The 2026 Index reflects sources identified and classified as of September 15, 2026.
Updated September 29, 2026: documented totals now exclude the private homes, operating hospitals and venues with nothing left to visit that were withdrawn on September 25 and 26. The ranked ten are unchanged.
Updated October 19, 2026: listings that could not be sourced, or that are private or have no public access, were withdrawn after an October review, so some of the state's town counts are lower. The documented total stays as published until the November update.
Updated October 23, 2026: more listings were withdrawn after a dignity and sourcing review, so some of the state's town counts are lower. The documented total stays as published until the November update.
This is a documentation ranking, not a visitation guide; sites not open to visitors are marked on their entries.