Lemp Mansion
Encyclopedia
The Lemp Mansion is a historical house in St. Louis, Missouri
, USA. It is also the site of three suicides by Lemp family members after the death of the son Frederick Lemp, whose William J. Lemp Brewing Co.
dominated the St. Louis beer market before Prohibition
with its Falstaff beer
brand. The mansion is reported to be haunted by members of the Lemp family.
.
In 1950, the mansion became a boarding house
; throughout the next decade, it lost much of its ornate charm. The construction of Interstate 55
during the 1960s led to the destruction of much of the grounds and one of the carriage houses.
, Germany
. He became a naturalized citizen
in November 1841. He arrived in the United States
in 1836, eventually settling in St. Louis in 1838. In the St. Louis city directory of 1840-41, he is listed as a grocer.
Adam Lemp started a grocery store at Sixth and Morgan, called A. Lemp & Co., family grocery. This site is now occupied by the middle of the south side of the Edward Jones Dome
. In addition to typical groceries, Lemp sold his own vinegar and beer
. By 1840 he focused solely on the manufacture and sale of the beer, forming Western Brewery at 37 South Second Street (about where the south leg of the Arch now stands). Adam Lemp’s beer became very popular due to the increase of German population in the area. Lemp was one of the first in the country to produce German lager, which was a great difference from the English ale and porters. The business prospered, and when a large storage space became necessary, a cave
in south St. Louis was used for this purpose as it provided natural refrigeration. The cave was below the current locations of the Lemp and Chatillon-DeMenil House
and the Lemp Brewery.
By the 1860s there were 40 breweries in the St. Louis area taking advantage of the caves along the Mississippi
, with the Western Brewery emerging as one of the most successful.
On August 23, 1862, Adam Lemp died, and William returned to the Western Brewery as owner and operator. In 1864 he began building a larger brewery
above the caves where Western had been storing its goods.
Under William Lemp, the Western Brewery became the largest brewery in St. Louis, and then, the largest outside of New York with a single owner. William began to brew and bottle the beer in the same facility to meet growing demand, a practice that was rare at that time. Further demonstrating his innovation and business sense, in 1878 he installed the first refrigeration machine in an American brewery, and then extended the idea to refrigerated railway cars, in a successful attempt to be the first beer in the United States with a national reach. Soon, Lemp Beer was sold worldwide.
In 1892, the William J. Lemp Brewing Company was founded from the Western Brewery with William as President, his son William Jr. as Vice-President, and his son Louis as Superintendent.
William J. "Billy" Lemp, Jr., was born on August 13, 1867. Like his father, he went to St. Louis University and then studied the art of brewing. However, it was William Sr.'s fourth son, Frederick, born in 1873, whom he hoped to groom to take over the company. Unknown to William Sr. and his family, Frederick had significant health problems. On December 12, 1901, Frederick died of heart failure due to complication of diseases. William Sr. became despondent and slowly declined. On the morning of February 13, 1904, William Lemp committed suicide by gunshot, and died at 10:15 a.m.
Lillian Handlan Lemp was, allegedly, nicknamed the “Lavender Lady” for her lavender colored wardrobe and carriages.
Lillian filed for divorce in 1908. She charged Billy with desertion, cruel treatment and other indignities. Their divorce proceedings lasted 11 days and ended in Lillian being granted her divorce and custody of William III - their only child - with Billy being given only visitation
rights.
After the trial, Billy built "Alswel" - his country home overlooking the Meramec River. The home was located in what is now the western edge of Kirkwood
. By 1914, he lived at Alswel full-time.
The Lemp Brewery suffered in the 1910s when Prohibition
began. The brewery was shut down and the Falstaff trademark was sold to Lemp's friend, "Papa Joe" Griesedieck. The brewery itself was eventually sold at auction to International Shoe Company for pennies on the dollar. On December 29, 1922, Billy Lemp shot himself in his office -- a room that today is the front left dining room.
He had left the brewery in 1917, to go into banking and finance. He had also dabbled in politics, influencing many south side wards. He never married and lived with his dog in the mansion with two servants, a married couple.
April, 1941, Charles Lemp sent a letter to a south St. Louis funeral home requesting that in case of his death, his remains should be taken by ambulance to the Missouri Crematory. His body should not be bathed, clothed, or changed. His ashes should be put into a wicker box and buried on his farm. There were to be no funeral held or a notice put in the papers.
On May 10, 1949; eight years later, he shot his dog then, himself in the head, leaving the following note: "St. Louis Mo/May 9, 1949, In case I am found dead blame it on no one but me. Ch. A. Lemp". This is the only known suicide note
in the family history.
in 1931.) Edwin, the youngest son, had worked in the brewery until 1913. He then retired at "Cragwold", the estate he had built overlooking the Meramac in 1911. "Cragwold
", in western Kirkwood, had an observation tower
, two servants' houses, and a collection of birds, antelope, sheep, yaks, buffalo and other animals. After his retirement, Edwin dedicated himself to many charitable causes, primarily the St. Louis Zoo.
In 1970, Edwin died at the age of 90. His final order to his caretaker was to destroy his art collection and family heirlooms.
once used the tunnels below Lemp Mansion and the former Lemp Brewery as a location on their short-lived reality show, FEAR
, disguising it as "The Boettger Brewery".
In 2010 the mansion was investigated by paranormal investigation team TAPS
, which was featured on the September 29 episode of Ghost Hunters
entitled "Lemp Mansion". In 2009, the mansion was investigated on the Discovery Channel
program Ghost Lab
, which was featured on the December 29 episode entitled "If Walls Could Talk".
In 2011, the caves below the mansion and brewery were featured on the show Off Limits
, when locations in St. Louis were highlighted (episode 1.11). Exterior shots of the Lemp Mansion were shown.
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, USA. It is also the site of three suicides by Lemp family members after the death of the son Frederick Lemp, whose William J. Lemp Brewing Co.
Lemp Brewery
Lemp Brewery was the original name of the brewing company that became the Falstaff Brewing Corporation. The Lemp Brewery Complex refers to the name of the St. Louis, Missouri property consisting of 27 buildings on a pie-shaped site bounded by Cherokee Street on the north, Lemp Avenue on the west,...
dominated the St. Louis beer market before Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
with its Falstaff beer
Falstaff Brewing Corporation
The Falstaff Brewing Corporation was a major American brewery located in St. Louis, Missouri. With roots in the 1838 Lemp Brewery of St. Louis, the company was renamed after the Shakespearean character of Sir John Falstaff in 1903. Production peaked in 1965 with 7,010,218 barrels brewed, and then...
brand. The mansion is reported to be haunted by members of the Lemp family.
Architectural history
The house was built in 1868 by St. Louisian Jacob Feickert. William J. Lemp and his wife, Julia, moved into the mansion in 1876. In 1911, the house underwent major renovations including conversion of some space into offices for the Lemp Brewery. The Lemps lived in the house until 1949 when Charles Lemp committed suicideSuicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
.
In 1950, the mansion became a boarding house
Boarding house
A boarding house, is a house in which lodgers rent one or more rooms for one or more nights, and sometimes for extended periods of weeks, months and years. The common parts of the house are maintained, and some services, such as laundry and cleaning, may be supplied. They normally provide "bed...
; throughout the next decade, it lost much of its ornate charm. The construction of Interstate 55
Interstate 55
Interstate 55 is an Interstate Highway in the central United States. Its odd number indicates that it is a north–south Interstate Highway. I-55 goes from LaPlace, Louisiana at Interstate 10 to Chicago at U.S. Route 41 , at McCormick Place. A common nickname for the highway is "double...
during the 1960s led to the destruction of much of the grounds and one of the carriage houses.
Adam Lemp and the Western Brewery
The original patriarch of the Lemp Family was Johann "Adam" Lemp, born in 1798 in GrüningenGrüningen
Grüningen is a village in the district of Hinwil in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.In 1976, Grüningen received the Wakker Prize for the development and preservation of its architectural heritage.-History:...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He became a naturalized citizen
Naturalization
Naturalization is the acquisition of citizenship and nationality by somebody who was not a citizen of that country at the time of birth....
in November 1841. He arrived in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1836, eventually settling in St. Louis in 1838. In the St. Louis city directory of 1840-41, he is listed as a grocer.
Adam Lemp started a grocery store at Sixth and Morgan, called A. Lemp & Co., family grocery. This site is now occupied by the middle of the south side of the Edward Jones Dome
Edward Jones Dome
The Edward Jones Dome The Edward Jones Dome The Edward Jones Dome (more formally known as the Edward Jones Dome at America's Center, and previously known as The Trans World Dome (from 1995–2001) is a multi-purpose stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, and home of the St. Louis Rams of the NFL. It was...
. In addition to typical groceries, Lemp sold his own vinegar and beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
. By 1840 he focused solely on the manufacture and sale of the beer, forming Western Brewery at 37 South Second Street (about where the south leg of the Arch now stands). Adam Lemp’s beer became very popular due to the increase of German population in the area. Lemp was one of the first in the country to produce German lager, which was a great difference from the English ale and porters. The business prospered, and when a large storage space became necessary, a cave
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
in south St. Louis was used for this purpose as it provided natural refrigeration. The cave was below the current locations of the Lemp and Chatillon-DeMenil House
Chatillon-DeMenil House
The Chatillon-DeMenil House, located at 3325 DeMenil Place in Soulard, St. Louis, Missouri, was begun in 1848 for the pioneer Henry Chatillon, then enlarged to its present form by prominent St. Louis businessman Nicolas DeMenil from 1855 to 1863...
and the Lemp Brewery.
By the 1860s there were 40 breweries in the St. Louis area taking advantage of the caves along the Mississippi
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, with the Western Brewery emerging as one of the most successful.
William J. Lemp Sr.
Adam's son William J. Lemp was born in Germany in 1835. After completing his education at St. Louis University, he worked at the Western Brewery until he left the company to form a partnership with another brewer. In 1861, he enlisted in the United States Reserve Corps, and achieved the rank of Orderly Sergeant. On December 3, 1861, he married Julia Feickert.On August 23, 1862, Adam Lemp died, and William returned to the Western Brewery as owner and operator. In 1864 he began building a larger brewery
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
above the caves where Western had been storing its goods.
Under William Lemp, the Western Brewery became the largest brewery in St. Louis, and then, the largest outside of New York with a single owner. William began to brew and bottle the beer in the same facility to meet growing demand, a practice that was rare at that time. Further demonstrating his innovation and business sense, in 1878 he installed the first refrigeration machine in an American brewery, and then extended the idea to refrigerated railway cars, in a successful attempt to be the first beer in the United States with a national reach. Soon, Lemp Beer was sold worldwide.
In 1892, the William J. Lemp Brewing Company was founded from the Western Brewery with William as President, his son William Jr. as Vice-President, and his son Louis as Superintendent.
William J. "Billy" Lemp, Jr., was born on August 13, 1867. Like his father, he went to St. Louis University and then studied the art of brewing. However, it was William Sr.'s fourth son, Frederick, born in 1873, whom he hoped to groom to take over the company. Unknown to William Sr. and his family, Frederick had significant health problems. On December 12, 1901, Frederick died of heart failure due to complication of diseases. William Sr. became despondent and slowly declined. On the morning of February 13, 1904, William Lemp committed suicide by gunshot, and died at 10:15 a.m.
William J. Lemp, Jr.
On November 7, 1904, William J. "Billy" Lemp, Jr., took over the brewing company as president. Billy had married Lillian Handlan five years earlier, and they moved to a new home at 3343 South Thirteenth Street.Lillian Handlan Lemp was, allegedly, nicknamed the “Lavender Lady” for her lavender colored wardrobe and carriages.
Lillian filed for divorce in 1908. She charged Billy with desertion, cruel treatment and other indignities. Their divorce proceedings lasted 11 days and ended in Lillian being granted her divorce and custody of William III - their only child - with Billy being given only visitation
Visitation
Visitation may refer to:In history:* Heraldic visitation, tours of inspection to establish the right of a person to bear arms, and are used today in genealogical research.In law:...
rights.
After the trial, Billy built "Alswel" - his country home overlooking the Meramec River. The home was located in what is now the western edge of Kirkwood
Kirkwood, Missouri
Kirkwood is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis, located in St. Louis County, Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,540. Founded in 1853, the city is named for James Pugh Kirkwood, builder of the Pacific Railroad through that town. It was the first planned suburb located west...
. By 1914, he lived at Alswel full-time.
The Lemp Brewery suffered in the 1910s when Prohibition
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
began. The brewery was shut down and the Falstaff trademark was sold to Lemp's friend, "Papa Joe" Griesedieck. The brewery itself was eventually sold at auction to International Shoe Company for pennies on the dollar. On December 29, 1922, Billy Lemp shot himself in his office -- a room that today is the front left dining room.
Elsa Lemp Wright
Elsa Lemp Wright, the youngest child of William Sr. married Thomas Wright, president of the More-Jones Brass and Metal Company in 1910. They separated in 1918 and in February, 1919, Elsa filed for divorce. She cited, among other things, damage to her mental and physical health. The divorce was granted after a trial, but Elsa and Thomas soon reconciled and remarried in March 1920. Later that month on March 20, Elsa shot herself while in bed at their house at 13 Hortense Place.William Lemp III
In 1939, William J. Lemp III, the only son of Billy Lemp, licensed the Lemp name to Central Breweries of East St. Louis. Central Breweries renamed itself the William J. Lemp Brewing Company and began a grand marketing campaign resulting in increased sales of the new Lemp Beer. The contract was terminated by Ems Brewing, which bought out Lemp in 1945.Charles Lemp
Charles Lemp, the third son of William Sr., was the final Lemp to live in the mansion, starting in 1929.He had left the brewery in 1917, to go into banking and finance. He had also dabbled in politics, influencing many south side wards. He never married and lived with his dog in the mansion with two servants, a married couple.
April, 1941, Charles Lemp sent a letter to a south St. Louis funeral home requesting that in case of his death, his remains should be taken by ambulance to the Missouri Crematory. His body should not be bathed, clothed, or changed. His ashes should be put into a wicker box and buried on his farm. There were to be no funeral held or a notice put in the papers.
On May 10, 1949; eight years later, he shot his dog then, himself in the head, leaving the following note: "St. Louis Mo/May 9, 1949, In case I am found dead blame it on no one but me. Ch. A. Lemp". This is the only known suicide note
Suicide note
A suicide note or death note is a message that states the author has died by suicide, and left to be discovered and read in anticipation of suicide....
in the family history.
Edwin Lemp
After Charles' death, the only surviving son of William Sr. was Edwin Lemp. (Louis Lemp, the second oldest son, had died of natural causesDeath by natural causes
A death by natural causes, as recorded by coroners and on death certificates and associated documents, is one that is primarily attributed to natural agents: usually an illness or an internal malfunction of the body. For example, a person dying from complications from influenza or a heart attack ...
in 1931.) Edwin, the youngest son, had worked in the brewery until 1913. He then retired at "Cragwold", the estate he had built overlooking the Meramac in 1911. "Cragwold
Cragwold
Cragwold, also known as Edwin A. Lemp Estate, in St. Louis County, Missouri was built in 1911.According to the National Park Service:Built in 1911 for Edwin A. Lemp, Cragwold is one of four estates built near the Meramec River between 1910 and 1920 by wealthy St. Louisans with ties to...
", in western Kirkwood, had an observation tower
Observation tower
An observation tower is a structure used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision. They are usually at least tall and made from stone, iron, and wood. Many modern towers are also used as TV towers, restaurants, or churches...
, two servants' houses, and a collection of birds, antelope, sheep, yaks, buffalo and other animals. After his retirement, Edwin dedicated himself to many charitable causes, primarily the St. Louis Zoo.
In 1970, Edwin died at the age of 90. His final order to his caretaker was to destroy his art collection and family heirlooms.
Lemp mansion today
Cragwold was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. Paranormal writers claim the Lemp Mansion is one of the America's most haunted buildings. Today the Lemp mansion is a major tourist attraction for St. Louis Missouri. It has been made into a restaurant and inn by the Pointer family and offers tours (historical and haunted), murder mystery dinner theatre, and Halloween parties.In popular culture
MTVMTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
once used the tunnels below Lemp Mansion and the former Lemp Brewery as a location on their short-lived reality show, FEAR
MTV's Fear
MTV's Fear is an American paranormal reality television series that originally aired from 2000 to 2002 on MTV. The program follows a group of 5 or more contestants being left at an allegedly haunted location and led them on a series of dares over two nights to explore and confirm whether or not the...
, disguising it as "The Boettger Brewery".
In 2010 the mansion was investigated by paranormal investigation team TAPS
The Atlantic Paranormal Society
The Atlantic Paranormal Society is an organization that investigates reported paranormal activity. Based in Warwick, Rhode Island, United States, TAPS was founded in 1990 by Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson. In 2004, the organization itself became the subject of Ghost Hunters, a popular weekly...
, which was featured on the September 29 episode of Ghost Hunters
Ghost Hunters
Ghost Hunters is an American paranormal reality television series that premiered on October 6, 2004, on Syfy . The program features paranormal investigators Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson who investigate places that are reported to be haunted. The two originally worked as plumbers for Roto-Rooter as...
entitled "Lemp Mansion". In 2009, the mansion was investigated on the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
program Ghost Lab
Ghost Lab
Ghost Lab is a weekly American paranormal documentary television series that premiered on October 6, 2009 on the Discovery Channel. Produced by Paper Route Productions and Go Go Luckey Entertainment, the program is narrated by Mike Rowe...
, which was featured on the December 29 episode entitled "If Walls Could Talk".
In 2011, the caves below the mansion and brewery were featured on the show Off Limits
Off Limits
Off Limits is a 1988 action-thriller film set during the Vietnam War starring Willem Dafoe and Gregory Hines and directed by Christopher Crowe. The term "off limits" referred to the area where the original crime took place, an area of Saigon off limits to military personnel...
, when locations in St. Louis were highlighted (episode 1.11). Exterior shots of the Lemp Mansion were shown.
See also
- Caves of St. LouisCaves of St. LouisThe Caves of St. Louis, Missouri, USA have been important in the economic development of the city. The young St. Louis was built upon a complex of natural caves which were once used for the lagering of beer by early German brewers...
- Lemp BreweryLemp BreweryLemp Brewery was the original name of the brewing company that became the Falstaff Brewing Corporation. The Lemp Brewery Complex refers to the name of the St. Louis, Missouri property consisting of 27 buildings on a pie-shaped site bounded by Cherokee Street on the north, Lemp Avenue on the west,...
- Falstaff Brewing Company
- CragwoldCragwoldCragwold, also known as Edwin A. Lemp Estate, in St. Louis County, Missouri was built in 1911.According to the National Park Service:Built in 1911 for Edwin A. Lemp, Cragwold is one of four estates built near the Meramec River between 1910 and 1920 by wealthy St. Louisans with ties to...
, the St. Louis County estate house of Edwin A. Lemp