The St. Louis City Hall, built between 1892 and 1904, has always fascinated me. With its grand architecture and long history, you’d expect it to be a hotspot for ghost stories. But interestingly enough, there have never been any official reports of paranormal activity inside the building. The real mystery, however, seems to linger just outside.
Right in front of City Hall stands the bronze statue of General Ulysses S. Grant, dedicated in 1888 as a tribute to the Civil War hero and future president. While it’s meant to honour his legacy, what happens around that statue after dark feels like something else entirely.
More than a few witnesses have claimed to see a thick mist swirling around the base of the monument late at night. Not the usual city fog, but something that hangs heavy and seems almost alive, coiling itself around Grant’s likeness. And it doesn’t end there. There have been multiple reports of full apparitions—Civil War soldiers in complete uniform—marching silently around the statue. Some describe them drifting past as if still on patrol, paying no attention to the living, locked into some memory from another time.
Local ghost tours often stop here, pointing out that while City Hall itself has a clean slate for hauntings, the plaza outside tells a different story. The contrast only makes the sightings seem more compelling.
Whether it’s fog, imagination, or something far stranger, one thing is certain: when you walk past Grant’s statue at night, you can’t shake the feeling that history hasn’t completely let go.
