37 Missouri Mysteries That Remain Unsolved to This Day

I have spent a majority of my life in Missouri and there are nearly endless legends and mysteries in my birth state that have never been completely explained. I'm going to do my best to explore every single one of them.

The Joplin Spooklight — The mysterious light seen for generations near the Missouri-Oklahoma border.

The "Spooklight" bright, usually orange or yellowish ball of light that appears at night in the area around Hornet, Missouri, and Quapaw, Oklahoma. I've heard many investigators and theorists claim it's just headlights on the distant horizon interacting with the atmosphere. I have yet to see anyone that has been able to replicate it and many skeptics who investigated have become believers.

Momo, the Missouri Monster — The legendary creature reported around Louisiana, Missouri, in 1972.

One of the most famous Bigfoot sightings in Missouri happened in the summer of 1972 near Louisiana, Missouri. The Bigfoot Field Research Organization has documented the many stories from locals in that era that claim they saw something huge climbing over fences and brush. No one has solved these sightings to this day.

The Missouri Mystery Mound — An unusual Ozarks site surrounded by stories and speculation.

Missouri has hundreds of hundreds of Native American earthworks and burial mounds, but their contents remain a mystery. Some claim these mounds across the state aren't just the burial ground of Native Americans, but instead contain the bones of giants that many claim inhabited Missouri in ancient times.

The Ozark Howler — The mysterious creature said to roam the Ozarks.

Stories of the Ozark Howler date back to the 19th century and include descriptions of a creature with the following characteristics:

• Dark or black fur
• A bulky body
• A beard or mane around its head
• Large, glowing or reflective eyes
• Sometimes described as having horns
• A powerful, frightening howl or scream

The Discovery Channel has even done its own investigations into the Ozark Howler, but no conclusion has been found.

The Ozarks' Bigfoot Sightings — Decades of reports with no definitive proof.

There are 6 specific Bigfoot sightings in the Missouri Ozarks that continue to mystify and they include:

• The “Wildman of the Ozarks” reports
• Oregon County, Missouri
• Sam A. Baker State Park
• Southern Missouri's Mark Twain National Forest
• The Branson/Ozark area
• The Rob Lowe Ozarks encounter

The Rob Lowe Missouri Ozarks encounter is one of the newest as he even told his tale on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

The Piasa Bird Legend — The enormous creature depicted in the famous Mississippi River tradition.

Technically, this is a legend that's connected to Alton, Illinois although many say this legendary thunderbird also occupied limestone cliffs on the Missouri side of the river, too. Wikipedia describes this legend as "a massive, dragon-like bird with a human face, horns, and scales that swooped down to devour local villagers before a brave chief named Ouatoga slew it". OK, then.

Monster Fish in the Missouri River — Stories of something strange beneath the state's largest river.

According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, steamboat captain William Heckman reported in his 1950 book Steamboating: Sixty-Five Years on Missouri's Rivers that a 315-pound blue catfish was caught from the Missouri River near Morrison, Missouri, shortly after the Civil War. That's just one of the documented stories about mammoth fish that have been pulled from the Missouri River.

The Devil's Promenade — Strange lights and folklore surrounding the area near Hornet.

This is the four-mile gravel-road area where people have traditionally gone to look for the Hornet Spook Light, but there are other odd happenings on that road, too. It is full of tales of ghosts, spirits and tragic deaths and Native American legends, too.

The "Ghost Lights" of Southwest Missouri — Reports of unexplained lights in remote areas.

Along with the "Spooklight" of Joplin, there are other stories in southwestern Missouri of will-o'-the-wisp-type lights appearing in remote Ozarks hollows and backroads. No proven cause of their existence has been brought forward - yet.

The Land of the Flying Monkeys — One of the stranger pieces of Ozarks folklore.

This is a classic piece of St. Francois County, Missouri, local folklore. Locals pin it near Aulsbury Chapel Road, off Highway D in St. Francois County. The Missouri sub-Reddit says there are times when teenagers gathering on this road have witnessed "“flying monkeys” name may have come from the surrounding trees", but many skeptics say this is just imaginations gone wild or the effects of psychedelics or maybe both.

The Strange Sounds of the Ozarks — Reports of unexplained cries, howls and noises.

It depends on who you talk to, but there are many in the Ozarks who say they've heard sounds which have been described like this:

• A deep, low howl
• A scream that sounds almost human
• A howl resembling an elk bugle
• A high-pitched shriek
• Repeated cries coming from different directions
• Growling or cackling sounds

Some believe this is a part of the Ozark Howler legend. Others think a more conventional explanation might be coyotes, bears or even large owls. No one has been able to prove anything, though.

The Mystery of Missouri's Phantom Hitchhikers — Stories of travelers who supposedly vanish.

This is a Missouri legend that has been claimed in many regions. Some say they have picked up a hitchhiker and then this happens:

• Suddenly disappear from the car
• Vanish after the vehicle reaches a particular location
• Leave behind an item of clothing
• Give the driver a warning
• Or lead the driver to a house where the residents reveal that the hitchhiker died years earlier

This is a tale that dates back over the past century, but I'm genuinely surprised that no one in the modern era has captured one of these phantom hitchhikers on a smartphone considering that nearly everyone has one now. This is Missouri, after all, so if you say something is real you need to show me.

Unexplained Objects Over Missouri — Strange UFO reports from across the state.

Piedmont, Missouri, and Wayne County were officially designated as the UFO Capitals of Missouri by the state legislature in July 2023. The reason why is a mass UFO sighting that happened in that region between February and April of 1973. On February 21, 1973, high school basketball coach Reggie Bone and his team saw a low-flying, glowing object with colored lights while driving home near Brushy Creek. Nearly 500 residents saw weird lights in that part of Missouri that year. Still has never been explained.

The Missouri State Penitentiary's Ghosts

The old Missouri State Penitentiary has been called the "bloodiest 47 acres in America" and that has resulted in paranormal experiences including:

• Apparitions
• Voices
• Footsteps
• Unexplained movement
• Cold spots
• Feelings of being watched
• Touches or sensations with no apparent source

That's why the Missouri State Penitentiary offers ghost tours for paranormal groups almost constantly.

The Lemp Mansion's Unexplained Activity

The Lemp Mansion in the St. Louis area was built in 1860 and was the location of almost constant family tragedy including:

• Frederick Lemp, William Lemp's favored son and heir to the brewery, died in 1901 under circumstances the mansion's history describes as mysterious.
• William J. Lemp died by suicide in the mansion in 1904.
• His daughter Elsa Lemp died by suicide in 1920.
• William J. Lemp Jr. died by suicide in the mansion in 1922.
• William Lemp III died of a heart attack in 1943.
• Charles Lemp later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
• Edwin Lemp, the last of the family mentioned in the mansion's official history, died in 1970.

Paranormal groups and those who have stayed at the mansion say they've experienced the following things over the years:

• Apparitions or shadowy figures
• Disembodied voices
• Footsteps
• Knocking
• Unexplained touches
• Cold spots
• Objects apparently moving
• Strange sensations of being watched
• Electronic equipment registering unexplained activity

The Eads Bridge: The Workers Who Died Beneath the Mississippi

The Eads Bridge isn't a location of ghost stories, but real human tragedy during its construction and the untold tragic accidents that have happened on it over the decades. At least 14 workers died as it was being built and many tug boats have collided with it resulting in pilot deaths. The question many have is whether the real tragedy is connected to a curse or if it's just the circumstances of a large, well-traveled bridge.

The Haunted Campbell House

The last surviving house from the old Lucas Place neighborhood is located at 1508 Locust Street in downtown St. Louis. Legends claim a "woman in white" remains in this home while others say they've experienced the following:

• Unexplained footsteps
• Strange noises from empty rooms
• Shadowy figures
• Feelings of being watched
• Unexplained sensations on the staircase
• Objects or activity seemingly occurring without an obvious source

The Mystery of the Ravenswood Mansion

This Missouri mansion built in 1880 says visitors have reported floating lights around the grounds and hearing music outside the mansion. Some believe it's connected to an old music box upstairs that some claim will start playing by itself in the middle of the night. Lights in the trees along the grounds of this estate and music...everywhere. According to legend, a woman named Nadine passed away in an upstairs room. When a servant tried to enter the room, they couldn't because it was locked from the inside. When authorities returned, it was unlocked. 

The Ghosts of the Jefferson City Capitol

Many don't remember that the Missouri State Capital building was destroyed twice before. It burned in 1837 and was struck by lightning and burned in February of 1911. It's partly due to this tragic history that many claim they've encountered the following in those hallowed halls:

• Shadowy figures
• Apparitions
• Strange footsteps
• Unexplained noises
• Feelings of being watched
• Objects or doors seemingly behaving strangely
• Reports of people sensing a presence inside the building

The Haunted Elms Hotel

The Elms Hotel & Spa in Excelsior Springs has legends connected to the prohibition era including even Al Capone. It burned in 1898, ten years after it was built and then burned again in 1910. The odd thing about the fires at The Elms is that history tells us that no one perished in either fire, but the reports of the paranormal encounters continue. Legends say a man killed by the mob is still present in the pool area. There are also stories of a woman who some say they've heard searching for her child in the pool area.

The Ghosts of the Belvoir Winery

I recently shared some of the interesting history of the Belvoir Winery that included the following phenomena:

• Seeing what appeared to be a young boy dressed in period clothing.
• Witnessing multiple apparitions over the years.
• Feeling intense chills and goosebumps during encounters.

This historic winery and the Odd Fellows Home on the grounds were an example of humanitarian efforts early in the past century in Missouri and it remains a favorite place for weddings today.

The Haunted Springfield, Missouri Theatre

The Landers Theater located at 311 E. Walnut Street in Springfield, Missouri was built in 1909 and many who have been a part of performances there claim a ghostly stagehand haunts the theater. It's connected to a vaudeville-era stagehand who allegedly hanged himself from the rigging above the stage. That story has never been proven, but continues to be retold to this day.

The Spirits of the Chatillon-DeMenil Mansion

This St. Louis mansion was built in 1849 by Henri Chatillon that has caves beneath it. While many say they've encountered strange happenings there, no one can point to just one piece of history to explain why. It could be because of:

• A house dating to 1849
• Multiple generations of one wealthy family
• Victorian-era deaths and family tragedies
• Underground caves
• A neighborhood filled with historic structures
• The nearby Lemp Mansion
• The Cherokee-Lemp Historic District
• Decades of preservation and restoration

The mansion hosts many events tied to the paranormal reputation, too.

The Haunted Lemp Brewery

The brewery was founded by Johann Adam Lemp in 1840 and eventually became one of St. Louis' largest breweries. Within half a century, it was the largest brewery in the city. The caves below the brewery were originally used for their naturally cool underground spaces before modern refrigeration, but the real paranormal legend is because of the Lemp Mansion where so many family members met their end. The caves themselves are said to have the following phenomena:

• Shadowy figures
• Unexplained footsteps
• Voices
• Strange noises
• Feelings of being watched
• Apparent movement in empty areas
• Unusual activity around the underground spaces

The Ghosts of the Old Courthouse

The real history of the Old Courthouse in St. Louis is much sadder than the alleged paranormal happenings there. It was the sight of the first two Dred Scott cases in 1847 and 1850. The National Park Service has documented history of slave sales that happened there. That's likely why many of the paranormal stories include:

• Enslaved people who were sold there
• People involved in historic court cases
• Former judges and courthouse workers
• The building's numerous deaths and tragedies

The Haunted Pythian Castle

The Pythian Castle in Springfield has a twisted history where it converted from being an orphanage to a POW facility in WWII. That's why the phenomena there include:

• Voices when nobody appears to be present
• Footsteps
• Apparitions
• Unexplained touches
• Shadow figures
• Feelings of being watched
• Strange sounds
• Unexplained activity in the basement

The Spirits of the University of Missouri

With a history that dates back to 1839, Mizzou as us locals affectionately call it has many real-life events that have added to the mystique of paranormal happenings there. On January 9, 1892, Academic Hall was destroyed by fire after being struck by lightning, but the 6 columns remained. Some in Jesse Hall will reference a ghost in the tower there. I've heard of students who say they've seen apparitions at night moving around the 6 columns. Are these just wild tales meant to scare freshmen or elaborations based on real-world tragedies? Probably a little of both, but no one knows for sure.

The Ghosts of the Missouri State Hospital

Fulton State Hospital, formerly the Missouri State Lunatic Asylum No. 1, is full of ghost stories due to overcrowding, fires, wartime disruptions and changing psychiatric treatments with sometimes rudimentary methods.

• Apparitions
• Shadow figures
• Unexplained voices
• Footsteps
• Strange noises
• Feelings of being watched
• Objects apparently moving on their own

Some claim the paranormal happenings there are the aftermath of former patients who allegedly suffered abuse or neglect.

The Haunted Fort Davidson Battlefield

This is another case where they mysteries and paranormal stories aren't nearly as bad as the tragic real history. On September 27, 1864, Confederate Maj. Gen. Sterling Price attacked Fort Davidson with roughly 8,000 Confederate troops against roughly 1,500 Union troops. Despite being outnumbered, the Confederates were defeated and the attack was unsuccessful. The remaining Union soldiers escaped after they detonated the fort's powder magazine which mystified the Confederates.

The paranormal reports here include:

• Ghostly soldiers
• Strange voices
• Apparent footsteps
• Unexplained sounds
• Shadowy figures
• Feelings of being watched
• Strange lights or movement in the darkness

The Ghost Stories of Wilson's Creek

The Battle of Wilson's Creek took place on August 10, 1861, about 10 miles southwest of Springfield. It was a bloody battle where the Southern troops eventually occupied the ground, but perished soldiers from both sides were everywhere. That's led to reports of:

• Ghostly soldiers
• Footsteps
• Voices
• Gunfire heard when nobody is firing
• Apparitions moving across fields
• Shadowy figures
• Feelings of being watched

The Ghosts of the Battle of Lexington

The Battle of Lexington battlefield and the Oliver Anderson House in Lexington, Missouri are full of real history that has likely inspired some of the unusual stories that have followed. The Oliver Anderson House was a Union hospital that changed hands 3 times in just one day during the battle. We know that prisoners were brutally murdered in that house. Present-day reports claim a ghostly woman at the window who unleashes a blood-curdling scream and ghostly soldiers on the grounds. People claim they've witnessed:

• A screaming woman appearing at a window
• A woman singing
• Voices
• Apparitions of Civil War soldiers
• Unexplained footsteps
• Paranormal activity reported by investigators
• Alleged EVPs

The Springfield Three — Three women disappeared from a Springfield home in 1992.

In the early morning hours of June 7, 1992, Sherill Levitt, 47; her daughter Suzanne Streeter, 19; and Suzanne's friend Stacy McCall, 18, disappeared from Levitt's home in Springfield, Missouri. It happened after the night of Suzanne and Stacy's graduation and the FBI still hasn't determined if they left the home they were staying in voluntarily or not. None have been seen since and this remains one of the most famous cold cases in Missouri history if not the entire country.

The Mystery of the West Alton, Missouri "Jane Doe"

On February 2, 1968, two fishermen near West Alton, Missouri, discovered something floating in the Mississippi River. It was a suitcase with the remains of a young girl inside with weights on the sides designed to keep it submerged. To this day, no officials have been able to connect it to any missing children cases and even modern DNA tests have been unable to identify her. Law enforcement doesn't know if she was from Missouri or not. Her identity remains a terrifying and tragic mystery.

The Mystery of the Missing Ozarks Travelers

This is one of the more vague Missouri mysteries as there are no direct connections to missing persons, but urban legends about hitchhikers or travelers who:

• Took an unfamiliar back road and disappeared
• Were seen entering isolated areas but never emerged
• Left vehicles behind
• Seemingly vanished without a trace
• Were later rumored to have been victims of robbery or murder
• Became the subject of local ghost stories

The Lost Confederate Gold of Missouri

One of the most intriguing Missouri stories says that Confederate soldiers fleeing Union forces near Neosho took a substantial quantity of Confederate gold into a cave. The legend says Union soldiers chasing the Confederates purposely collapsed the cave entrance trapping the soldiers inside with their gold. There are many treasure hunters who have talked about where this gold is on the Treasure.net website for more than a decade. No one has found it - yet.

Jesse James' Alleged Hidden Treasure

This legend starts with facts. In 1874, Jesse James and his gang robbed a train at Gads Hill, Missouri. Some believe the loot was hidden in a cave-like opening in a hillside. I've heard some claim that a Missouri woodcutter found:

• Old coins worth $100,000
• A muzzle-loading rifle
• Paper money
• A large hidden room

The problem is an investigation by the Discovery Channel could only verify that someone found a few coins and an old gun. There are thousands of caves in Missouri that Jesse James and his gang might have hidden loot in. No one has proven they've found anything significant - yet.

The Lost French Gold Treasure Missouri Still Can't Find

The story claims that French soldiers traveling through what is now Missouri buried a massive treasure during the French and Indian War era. Legend says it was worth a billion dollars potentially, but there's also a problem. It seems that some in Missouri may have adopted part of a legend that's connected to French activity in Ohio.