Finally! The kids and I took the “paranormal” tour at the Lemp Mansion last night! What a neat place. Our visit didn’t have the drama of the Ghost Hunters investigation, but it was well worth the visit. The artifacts in the “museum” were awesome and I tried to put the Hipstamatic to good use. So much history. The mansion itself was built in the 1860’s and was purchased by a the owner of a St. Louis brewery powerhouse named William Lemp. At the height of its success, the Lemp brewery covered 10 city blocks and was worth $7 million. Business went down hill and eventually closed thanks to Prohibition in 1919. But that poor family met so much more tragedy than the demise of their business. They seemed to be plagued with premature death — three suicides (one guy even shot his dog before shooting himself), heart attacks, unexplained deaths. So sad. And the mansion that they left behind is known as one of the most haunted places in the country. We simply took the tour, but some folks were actually staying the night there. I think that will be next on my list. Tanner seems to be game, but Drew was spooked and wants no part of an extended stay. 🙂 I’m just glad we FINALLY saw the place.