A seemingly quiet Midwestern town in northwest Missouri, St. Joseph is a lovely small town filled with historical buildings and families that have been there since their ancestors settled the area in the early to mid 1800s.
Stories of ghosts in the area have kept locals talking at diners and family reunions for decades, high school kids taking midnight drives to determine who is the bravest of all and unbelievers looking to debunk their accounts at every turn.
Benton High School 5655 S. 4th Street
A large three story brick building built from 1938-1940. The school opened in March of 1940 with 37 classrooms. Rumor has it that the high school is built atop Indian burial grounds. At night, on the third floor of the building in a hallway stretching 200-feet long, disembodied voices have been reported as well as books being thrown at passersby. It is also said that a former school secretary loved her job some much in life that she continues doing it in death. Her perfume still wafts through the main office.
Central High School 2602 Edmond Street
The ‘new’ Central High School was built in 1932 at its current location being moved from tenth and Edmonds where it was named “The High School” and then changed to “Central High School” in 1910. Flanked by Grecian columns, the oldest portion of the school is a three-story brick building. The school is the second oldest high school west of the Mississippi river. Students and faculty have claimed that a playful ghost will flood the bathrooms on the all floors but is especially fond of playing tricks on the second and third floors. Drama students report their own ghost in the theater/auditorium of the school. This ghost seems to enjoy watching the shows as well as taking part in them.
Glore Psychiatric Museum 3406 Frederick Avenue
The Glore Psychiatric Museum begins its history in 1968 in a three-story brick building with a large basement which housed a clinic that served the mental patients from the nearby hospital. In 1874, the oldest buildings were home to the first mentally ill patients of The State Hospital for the Insane No. 2 or The State Lunatic Asylum No. 2. In 1903, the name was changed to the State Hospital No. 2. It was changed again in 1952, to the St. Joseph State Hospital. [1] The hospital grew from 25 patients to nearly 3,000 by the early 1950s. The morgue was located in the basement and seems to be the most active area of the building. Cries for help, moaning and whimpering can be heard as well as a woman’s voice whispering, “Help me.” A man has been seen running toward the elevator screaming, “What are you doing here? Get out!”
The Social Parlor 805 Francis Street
It is thought that in St. Joseph’s heyday, this building housed a furrier shop and the operator so enjoyed his work that he can still be seen hurrying around the shop to finish hats, cloaks and coats for long ago clients.
Other Area Sights Said to be Haunted
- Ashland Cemetery
- Carnegie Library
- City Cemetery
- Haunted Bridge (located on Mason Road)
- King Hill Cemetery
- Mount Mora Cemetery
- Old Sisters Hospital (sight of)
- St. Joseph's Foods
- The Old Devil Worship Caves
- The Old Park Floral Building
Before heading out to search for ghosts, always get permission from landowner. Trespassing laws are serious and will be enforced by most landowners.
Further readingThe Dos and Don'ts of Ghost Hunting
Do Ghosts and Hauntings Really Exist?
Disembodied Voices and Strange Lights
