Uncover eerie tales behind Cape Girardeau's most haunted spots

Cape Girardeau is known for Southeast Missouri State University, local dining treasures, rich history and much more, and Halloween week reminds that there are alleged haunted history spots, too.

Port Cape Girardeau’s Bell

One local haunt is in one of Cape Girardeau’s well-known restaurants, Port Cape Girardeau, 19 N. Water St., which happens to also be one of the oldest buildings in the city. In “The Big Book of Missouri Ghost Stories”, Troy Taylor writes about one of the most famous ghosts in Cape Girardeau who supposedly hangs out at Port Cape. A veteran bartender nicknamed the ghost Bell. Bell, over the years, has interacted with several people, according to the book. Some say they have felt the touch of her hand on their back or heard footsteps in an empty room, but the sightings of Bell have become less common. There have been several versions of Bell and why she resides in Port Cape.

Rose Theater's many friends

According to the SEMO website, there are a few ghosts who want to keep on learning in the afterlife. One of them reportedly haunts the university's Rose Theater, 400 N. Pacific St., which is rumored to have not one but multiple ghosts inside.

One of these ghosts is named Mary. The website states she was married to a French fur trapper and eventually killed both her husband and herself.

Another spirit is allegedly Annie, a young girl who loves to sing and play in the theater.

Old Lorimier Cemetery

Started in 1808 by the wife of Louis Lorimier, the cemetery has quite a long history. In “The Big Book of Missouri Ghost Stories”, author Troy Taylor writes about how there was no fence around the cemetery, 500 N. Fountain St., as there is now, and many locals would walk right through to get to the downtown business district. According to the book, many people experienced the Tapping Ghost in the early 1900s. People would feel someone tap them on the shoulder only to turn around and see nothing. This has been expanded from tapping to some people experiencing sharp tugs on their hair or clothes while at the cemetery. There have also been witnesses who have seen floating orbs of light at night in the cemetery.

The Glenn House

According to the SEMO website there are some active ghosts in the house, 325 S. Spanish St.

Example: “One night, when those inside the house were getting ready to leave and rearm the alarm on the house, they heard a loud crashing noise. They say it sounded like every door in the house had slammed at the same time causing the whole house to vibrate. After reviewing footage from inside the house it was concluded that there was not a single closed door in the entire house.”

Another: “During an evening meeting, the doors to the Glenn House were locked after the last person arrived. Suddenly, all of the meeting attendees heard the front door of The Glenn House open and footsteps walk into the entryway, up the stairs, down the hallway and into the children’s bedroom. A few members looked around the house to look for the uninvited guest but found no one. The front door of the house was still locked.”

Sherwood-Minton House

Known to many in the area as one of, if not the, most haunted houses in Cape Girardeau. The house, 444 Washington St., was built in the 1850s and was used as a smallpox hospital during the Civil War. It is alleged there is/was a tunnel used to transport soldiers who died without alarming the public of the many deaths.

According to an article by Southeast Arrow in 2019, many people over the years have claimed seeing ghostly soldiers walking toward the house from the cemetery. Professor of History Joel Rhodes gave the student-run newspaper some interesting information about a room in the house. Rhodes the room, called the “slave room", has been known to not keep anything hanging on the wall. The story is a minister operated part of the Underground Railroad, and a young girl hiding in that room was caught by slave catchers. She was hiding in a wardrobe, and one of the men saw her dress sticking out through a mirror, and it is said she cursed the room.

Haunted Bloomfield Road

Bloomfield Road is considered one of the most haunted roads in Missouri. An article by the Southeast Missourian in 2006 talks about a ghost named Lucy‚ "Mad Lucy", who lived with her family along Bloomfield Road. She was reportedly in a buggy headed down Bloomfield Road when it crashed, severely injuring her and resulting in a mental breakdown. Lucy's cries supposedly can be heard late at night if you are very quiet.

Along with “Mad Lucy”, there have been tales of a headless man walking up and down the road. In the early 1800s, early settlers claimed to have seen a headless horseman who was in search of his head.