St. Louis Ghost Tour

2. Alexian Brothers Hospital

St. Louis, MO

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The Alexian Brothers Hospital no longer stands at this location, yet receives many visitors who are intrigued by the infamous St. Louis exorcism. Details of the event have never been fully parsed out, yet the tale remains horrifying. The events were so terrifying that they inspired the horror film, The Exorcist. In 1949, a young boy experiencing an alleged demonic possession travelled halfway across the country seeking help. The Maryland family, which had roots in St. Louis, was at its wits end. For months, the parents reported their son endured mysteriously appearing cuts and scratches, words bloodily carved into his body and nightly terrors. But how did the possession occur? Ghost historians are unsure, but believe the boy’s use of an Ouija board allowed the demon to cross realms and attach to his body. Evaluations from priests and psychiatrists did no help; the 13-year-old boy continued to endure shaking beds and furniture at night, trances that forced him to speak Latin and other dead languages, and bouts of memory loss. A train ride to St. Louis allowed the family to seek refuge and help from several spiritual leaders, including Jewish rabbis and Catholic and priests. For weeks, the boy remained at the Alexian Brothers Hospital, where a team of priests worked together to separate and expel the demon from the boy’s soul. The team underwent intense physical training, fasting and prayer for the days prior to the exorcism, hoping to build up strength to endure a challenge of the magnitude. It is believed that the priests underwent regular belittling, violent outbursts, spitting and mental abuse during the multiple-weeks long process. After two to three weeks of daily prayers, exorcisms and rituals, the boy recovered and the mysterious behaviors stopped. His family returned to the East Coast, but nothing of his fate or his identity has ever been revealed. Rumors throughout the St. Louis area have glued together parts of the story, yet the related religious figures have refuted any involvement. The room used at the hospital was sealed off with all original items still inside. and never again opened. The area around the former Alexian Brothers Hotel has been paved over, and some believe that despite constant repair, the concrete on which the exorcism location stood, is constantly smashed and broken — possibly from an angered demon. The original Alexian Brothers hospital and psychiatric ward was torn down and replaced with another facility. A new hospital building was constructed adjacent, only feet from where the demonic battle took place. Photo courtesy of Google Maps.