Lemp Mansion
"The Lemp Mansion is the site of three suicides by Lemp family members after the death of the son Frederick Lemp, whose William J. Lemp Brewing Co. dominated the St. Louis beer market before Prohibition with its Falstaff beer brand. The mansion is said to be haunted by members of the Lemp family. The house was built in 1868 by St. Louisian Jacob Feickert. William J. Lemp and his wife, Julia, moved into the mansion in 1876. In 1911, the house underwent major renovations including conversion of some space into offices for the Lemp Brewery. The Lemps lived in the house until 1949 when Charles Lemp committed suicide."
"In 1950, the mansion became a boarding house. The construction of Interstate 55 during the 1960s led to the destruction of much of the grounds and one of the carriage houses."
Rockcliffe Mansion
Rockcliffe Mansion was constructed from 1898 to 1900 in Hannibal, Missouri for the wealthy lumber baron John J. Cruikshank, Jr. The mansion is a large 2 1/2 story double-brick house with white trim situated at the top of a large hill in the center of town with a commanding view of the area. The front of the house features a two story portico of paired Corinthian columns with a second floor balcony. The East side of the house features an expansive single story "porte cochere" with Tuscan columns. Originally the porches were connected but a fire destroyed that portion. Inside, there are more than 30 rooms and 10 unique ornate fireplaces. The interior is detailed in rich Mahogany and Quarter Sawn Oak in the Late Victorian and Art Nouveau styles. The main staircase rises to a large Tiffany stained glass window on the north facade and from there it splits into two rounded staircases to the second floor. The light fixtures throughout are an unusual dual purpose gas/electric type. The hall and reception room are oak while the library and dining room are mahogany. The "Moorish Room" features scalloped horseshoe and ogee arches on Corinthian columns and the room has its own custom Tiffany stained glass windows on the east wall. It is said that Louis Tiffany himself designed the entirety of the Moorish Room. Throughout the rest of the house, you will find the highest quality down to the smallest detail; all plumbing fixtures by J.L. Mott Iron Works and hardware by Yale and Towne. Most of the furnishings and fixtures in the house today are the antique originals despite the house being abandoned for 43 years.
House on the Hill
This house was constructed in the early 1900's as a private residence for a wealthy local businessman. He died only a few years after completion of the house. Since then, the house has become infamous for reported hauntings and was even featured on Unsolved Mysteries as one of the "most haunted" locations. Supposedly, even the businessman himself haunts the building and turns off light-switches (presumably to save on energy costs-you know how stingy wealthy people can be) and engages in other spiritual shenanigans. Unfortunately, we had no spooky encounters during our lengthy exploration of this site and no ghosts were harmed in the making of this post.
Mansion on the Hill
This mansion was built in 1915 by a family that was to be an integral part of Saint Louis industry well into the 20th century. Mark Kerckhoff was a German immigrant who started a butter route to Saint Louis in 1887, to which he would later add milk.. and with that, Pevely Dairy was born. Their big break came when they won the dairy concession at the 1904 World's Fair in Saint louis from which point the business took off. Sometime around 1915, they began construction on the famous Pevely Dairy Plant with the iconic sign that stood for nearly 100 years on Chouteau avenue. The massive Pevely Dairy Farm stood on the same property as this mansion, just a short walk away.
The reign of Pevely as the king of Saint Louis dairy products would end, however when the business was bought out and the original location shut down. Everything that once bore the Pevely Dairy name is now demolished which means this blog is now the only place you'll see all of these locations.
Mansion on the Green
This house was built in the early 1900s by a prominent Saint Louisan George F. Wood-Smith who is mostly remembered for the unfinished castle he was building nearby.
Wood-Smith Castle
Wood-Smith Castle was constructed in 1914, but the site was left abandoned and unfinished by 1920.
Brownhurst Mansion
The Brownhurst Mansion was built in approximately 1892 for Daniel Sidney Brown, son of the founder of the Pioneer Steam Keg Works (later the Pioneer Cooperage Company). Brown, an avid horticulturalist, was known for cultivating rare orchids and other species of plants on his once vast estate. The mansion has been owned by the Society of Mary since 1918. It has been sitting vacant since 1989. Despite the fact that this historic building is in good shape overall, the current owners want it demolished and soon, it will be.
Old Farmhouse
This is a very old farmhouse which started out as a log cabin.
The Log Cabin
While out looking for a new kayaking spot along the river we stumbled across a log cabin crumbling away in the woods. It's definitely old, but probably not as old as it looks; Based on my limited knowledge of such things I'd place it around 1940's construction because of the wiring, plumbing and other details. I could be wrong, though. I haven't been able to find any history on it yet. This cabin wasn't the only interesting find. Just down a short path from the cabin sits a secluded lake. Then, further into the woods from the lake are several very old barns and another old house with a cellar. I didn't go inside the second house because the window frame would have probably broken off under my weight but it looked totally empty inside, aside from some old patio furniture that had been used to furnish the house as a hunter's lodge but which likely hadn't been used in a couple decades. Lastly, not far from here is a bridge which hasn't seen traffic in quite some time.
Old House #1
This is an old, abandoned house.
Old House #2
This is an old, abandoned house.
Old House #3
This is an old, abandoned house.
Castle Apartments
The Castle Apartment Building was built in 1925. It is currently on the market awaiting an investor.
