“They threw my father off of that bridge when he couldn’t pay his gambling debts.” And so began our evening with the St. Charles Ghost tour. Located along the banks of the Missouri River, Historic St. Charles was the starting point for the Lewis and Clark expedition. Today the old section, with its cobblestone streets and beautifully restored buildings are a hub for tourists and locals. But it wasn’t always this way. Until the 1960’s this town met the description of a classic frontier town. With such a history who is to say whether ghosts of the past would still be roaming the streets?
We paid for our ghost tours, but I enjoyed it and wanted to share.
Spooky Tales. Ghostly Lore. I’ve always been intrigued by the premise of how these stories tie into an area’s history. On a recent vacation to St. Louis I decided to search the internet to see if any nearby ghost tours appealed to me. I discovered the St. Charles Ghost Tour, located in Historic St. Charles, about 18 miles outside of St. Louis. I had read good things about the tour- It’s the top rated ghost tour in the Midwest- and decided to give it a try.
The tour is led by Dr. Michael Henry, a renowned paranormal researcher who has studied the paranormal for over forty years. He had only recently returned from an expedition in the United Kingdom. His tour began with an explanation of the three types of ghostly manifestations; those you can hear; those you can see; and those you can smell. We were instructed to be alert because we never knew what we might encounter.
Because we had a small group- only 6 people- on the Tuesday night I attended, Dr. Henry asked if we were in a hurry to finish the tour. He offered to share greater historical details if we didn’t mind the tour running over its allotted time. The tour began outside the St. Charles Historical Society. We were treated to a short history of the town before beginning our leisurely stroll down Main Street. Two stories stood out to me- the number of (former) Bordellos in one small town and the small reconstructed building of the first Borromeo Catholic Church.
The ground where it sits was formerly a graveyard for paupers. Over the years the ground has eroded. In the past bones have been found sticking out of the ground. Today there is a concentrated effort to bring in more dirt to keep everyone covered. But who knows? Some night you might catch the chilling site of a bone rising above the ground. While on our tour, one of the group asked if one of the spirits who haunted the site might have smoked because he smelled the faint whiff of tobacco. I agreed I could smell something, but it didn’t smell like smoke. My scent turned out to be the smell of the plentiful fragrant Lingonberry trees blooming in the area.
Dr. Henry is an amusing host who goes out of his way to research the history of the area to present the facts. The tour has a heavy historical focus, as Dr. Henry, a self-proclaimed skeptic, only shares phenomena he has personally experienced. He’s debunked several claims, including ghostly glowing orbs which turned out to be a family of rabbits frolicking happily in the fog. The light reflected from their eyes had been appearing in photos as golden orbs.
The tour is available on Fridays and Saturdays year round. Participants must be 14 and older. Tours can be arranged on other days for groups of five or more.
Ghost Tour Tips:
*Free Parking is available in the lot behind the Historical Society after 6 PM.
*The tour is handicapped accessible, although some of the pavement is rough.
*Wear comfortable shoes.
Have you ever taken a ghost tour? Where was it? What was your favorite story?
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The St. Charles Ghost tour sounds perfect for me. I love to learn about the history of different places. We have some great ghost walks here in Ottawa.
A little spooky but sounds like fun. I haven’t ever gone on a ghost tour.
This sounds like such a fun tour, specially to take with tweens and teens who are so hard to entertain.
Looks like you had a lot of fun. I avoid anything paranormal lol.
I know Ghost Tours may seem exciting, but this is not my cup of tea. I get frightened easily and I don’t know if I can last a minute in a haunted house. I will let my husband and kids know about this. They may be interested to go. I would rather sit in a cafe or diner, have a meal and wait for them.
I love to experience ghost tours too and I bet this is so much fun adventure.
I have never taken any Ghost Tour. Sounds fun. I don’t think my kids are ready for this adventure.
This is one activity that I can say “no” to without batting an eyelash. I am scared of ghosts and everything that has to do with them. I believe they have suffered enough that’s why their spirits cannot find rest. I will give them that and leave them to mind their own business. However, my sons would love to go on ghost tours. They make a bet on who screams first. 🙂
I am a huge scardy cat so I am not into haunted tours. I would rather visit during the day and enjoy the beautiful architecture!
I love spooky and haunted locations. My kids get super freaked out when it comes to them, but I have nerves of steel. This place looks like a ton of fun.
I think it’s awesome that you tried this tour! There are so many exciting and interesting ghost tours all over and I’d love to experience this one!
I took one in Scotland. It was more funny than anything else, and we did it at night. The idea of bones sticking out of the ground is not at all appealing, lol
I have always wanted to do a ghost tour in a town with a lot of history. I think it would be fun but creepy at the same time. This tour sounds cool!
I’ve never been on a ghost tour, but it sounds interesting! If I were to go on one, I would definitely consider this one.
Oh i would love to go here with my cousins. This is so interesting and fun. I am so excited.
My daughter would love this kind of adventure. She’s always fascinated with this kind of activities.
This sounds like so much fun! I love scary stuff, and this looks like a great tour combining history and delightful scares! I will have to think about booking a tour the next time I am in the area.
My grandmother always said we were related to Lewis and Clark. My maiden name is Lewis and I have cousins whose last names are Clark. Anyway this St. Charles Ghost tour would be something I know my boys and I would love to do. It sounds like it would be quite interesting. We have never been on a ghost tour but this summer we will have to do a few. Thanks for sharing the information.
I had no idea Ghost tours were so popular. I’ve never done one before.
How fun is that?!? I had friends in St Charles and use to visit there often, but hadn’t no idea that they had ghost tours!
OMG that looks totally creepy yet fun at the same time. I would for sure be creeped out. Ghost tours I used to totally think were so fake until I literally swear I saw a ghost, now I am a major believer.
Oh that looks creepy! My daughter wouldn’t dare to go here. Places depicts history and culture.
I also know that some folk lore and ghost stories got something to do with the place’s history. This is such an interesting way to know more about your place.
My husband is such a non believer in anything spiritual or paranormal so I would love to take him on a ghost tour. I would be willing to travel out west for this.
I am laughing so hard right now about the ‘frolicking rabbits’ that looked like glowing orbs! LOL!
I would love to try out a Ghost Tour someday.
Do Ligonberry trees really smell like tobacco?
Not even remotely. 🙂 I am not sure if the man was smelling the trees like I was or if he just thought he smelled something.
What a hoot! My family would love these tours! Just not if they are too scary! Thanks for sharing!
I went on one of these in St. Augustine. It was so much fun!
My family would love this tour! I don’t do ghost tours because I’m a big ole’ chicken but the family would absolutely love this.
I am sorry but anything ghost related makes me want to run the other way. I am not big on ghost tours but this sounds like a lot of fun
You are braver than I am. Anything that has to do with ghosts or haunted I can’t do. I get freaked out to easily and then I start having really vivid dreams. I do have a couple of friends that would absolutely love this tour and I am sure there will do it when they come into town.
That sounds like a lot of fun. I love to go on ghost tours. I’ve never seen anything “ghosty”, but I love to hear the history behind these places. It’s very interesting.
Ahh! Ghost tours are so much fun! We have one here in Georgia that we love to go on. I haven’t seen any paranormal activity yet, but we keep going!
We are like that with the ones here in Boston and Plymouth. Nothing yet, but we go every so often to see if something happens.
Whenever my husband and I travel, we do a local ghost tour. We love the spookiness and the history on those types of tours.