The Chatillon–DeMenil Mansion may not be the first place people think of when it comes to haunted St. Louis landmarks, but don’t be fooled by its stately charm. Built in 1848 for Henri Chatillon and later expanded by Nicolas DeMenil, the mansion sits right next door to the famously haunted Lemp Mansion. And while its neighbour often steals the ghostly spotlight, the DeMenil house has its own whispers that refuse to fade.
Staff have reported hearing the sound of footsteps echoing through the kitchen when no one is present, and visitors sometimes describe an unsettling feeling of being watched—especially in the former bedroom of Mrs DeMenil. The scent of old-fashioned cologne has been noticed near Alexander DeMenil’s shaving stand, a detail too specific to ignore. Even stranger, disembodied voices—sometimes in French—have been heard drifting along the stairways, as if conversations from another century are still carrying on.
Perhaps the most chilling claims involve full-bodied apparitions on the front porch. Witnesses say they’ve seen figures standing there only to vanish before their eyes. Paranormal teams who’ve investigated the mansion have logged EVPs and unusual activity, though none have been able to prove the house is haunted. That hasn’t stopped the stories from piling up.
Today, the mansion leans into its mysterious reputation with ghost-themed tours and mourning-era events during October, when the house is dressed in 19th-century funerary traditions. Whether you come for the history, the architecture, or the chance to hear phantom French voices on the stairs, the Chatillon–DeMenil Mansion offers a hauntingly elegant stop on any St. Louis ghost tour.
