Welcome everyone, to part two of a two-part series on what are alleged to be Minnesota’s most haunted houses. If you haven't listened to last week’s episode, we recommend that you do so, as this one picks up pretty much where that one left off.

(Content Warning: suicide, death, and a brief allusion to sexual assault)

Now, as a refresher, last week we discussed the Forepaugh mansion in St. Paul, which was built in 1870 for businessman Joseph Forepaugh and today houses a fine dining restaurant known as Forepaugh’s. Specifically, we talked about the ghost story popularly associated with the house, which concerns an affair between a maid name Molly and her employer that ended in a double suicide.

As historians we’re not qualified to assess any supernatural claims, but we tried our best to see if the legend of Molly could be confirmed in the historical record. Sadly, we were not able to find any documentation that might confirm this story. What we did find, however, was that a near-identical story had also been circulating about a different Saint Paul mansion: the Chauncey Griggs mansion at 476 Summit Avenue.

Alongside Forepaugh’s, the Griggs mansion is often claimed to be the most haunted home in Minnesota. In this case, the spirits of the ill-fated maid and her employer are not alone. According to some accounts, as many as 13 different ghosts or entities are said to haunt the Griggs mansion.

And so, this week, we’ll be delving into the history of the Chauncey Griggs mansion, to see whether or not the historical record can shed any clues on these fascinating legends.

The Forepaugh mansion was built in 1870 for dry goods merchant and shoe manufacturer Joseph Forepaugh and his wife Mary. Today, the mansion is famous for two things: fine dining, and being among the most haunted places in the state.

(Content Warning: suicide, death, sexual exploitation)

Rumors of a haunting started soon after the historic mansion was converted into a restaurant in 1976. Customers and staff alike began reporting strange experiences, including hearing footsteps where no one was there, seeing objects move by themselves, and vanishing apparitions of a young woman and an older man, both in Victorian clothing.

Local folklore has identified these ghostly residents as the restless spirits of Joseph Forepaugh and a maid named Molly with whom he had an affair. After their affair was discovered, the story goes, both died by suicide and the restless spirits have haunted the house ever since,

Here at Minnesota Unknown, we pride ourselves on our research, and do not share any stories on our tour without first confirming every detail we can through primary sources. We have spent a great deal of time poring over old documents, searching for any details that might corroborate the legend of Molly. And what did we find? Listen on to find out!

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For more detailed shownotes and links to additional resources, head here.

At the turn of the 20th century, the most beloved celebrity in St. Paul, Minnesota was a bugle-playing chimney sweep named Slunky Norton.

For our inaugural episode, hosts Hannah, Alex, and Josie provide an origin story for Minnesota Unknown by bringing listeners along down a research rabbit hole that has been an obsession for these three local history nerds for years. The three used to work together at the Minnesota Historical Society, and during their time there they came across the incredible story of Slunky Norton—a chimney sweep, entertainer, bugler, Santa Claus, philanthropist, radio host, and beloved local celebrity.

You can find detailed show notes for this and all episodes at minnesotaunknown.com/podcasts, featuring accompanying images, links to more info, and lists of sources cited.

If you have questions, comments, corrections, complaints, or compliments, or would like to suggest a topic for a future episode, please email us at info@minnesotaunknown.com. We’d truly love to hear from you.