St. Louis Ghost Tour

11. Old Courthouse

St. Louis, MO

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The Old Courthouse is a familiar sight from the Gateway Arch, with a teal roof and six large columns. But, what’s also noticeable about the building is it’s unexplainable sounds and shadows. Now owned and maintained by the National Park System, the Old Courthouse in St. Louis was once a functioning location for legal matters between 1828 and 1930. While tour guides at the location will debunk ghostly legends, the building reportedly is still used by ghostly visitors heading to court. Many of those sentenced to death by hanging have continued to hang around behind the courthouse, recounting their last minutes before the gruesome hangings. Cries and laughter are often heard coming from the same location, and more often than not are unidentifiable. Former security guards have said the building has a mysterious problem with self-opening and closing doors, and lights that choose when to be turned off and on. The opening doors were so problematic that the National Parks Service allegedly had entrances modified to prevent the entrances and exists of invisible visitors. Some former courthouse employees are also apparently seen, including a man who rebuffs building staff for not calling court to order, or a former judge’s dog going out for a bathroom break. Photo courtesy Daniel Schwen.