St. James Hotel
One of Minnesota’s most historic hotels might just be one of the state’s most haunted places
Paranormal Activity at
the St. James Hotel
- A construction worker’s apparition is seen on the staircase
- Potential EVPs are sometimes captured by visiting ghost hunters
- Unexplained voices and whispers are heard
- People see ghostly faces manifest in the basement
- A lady in white is seen around the hotel
- A hostile ghost purportedly slams doors around the building
- Cold spots are frequently encountered
- Disembodied baby cries are heard at times
- Objects in the restaurant are moved by unseen forces
A Red Wing Wonder:
History of the St. James Hotel
If there’s one defining feature of Red Wing, Minnesota, it’s the color red. All through the city’s historic downtown, red brick businesses and apartment buildings line the streets.
But, two local cornerstones still manage to stand out amongst the rows of brick: the headquarters of the famous Red Wing Shoe Company, and just across the street, the ornamented facade of the St. James Hotel.
While most people know of Red Wing for its shoes, late 1800s Red Wing was defined by the St. James Hotel. The spacious and luxurious hotel played a pivotal role in the city’s development, and remains a locally treasured piece of Minnesota history.
While it is no longer a center of commerce for Red Wing, the St. James still haunts the city’s narrative… literally.
Timeline of St. James Hotel's History
Swipe or use timeline points to see St. James Hotel through the years
1875
First opened on Thanksgiving Day, 1875, the St. James Hotel was a grand success from the moment it opened its doors. At that time, Red Wing was a booming community and was the biggest wheat-trading town in the nation. But through the 1860s, Red Wing was always missing one thing: a place for visiting businesspeople and investors to stay. So, a team of eleven local business leaders banded together to finance the St. James Hotel’s construction.
1878
Right away, the St. James Hotel became the center of activity in Red Wing. Travelers crowded into the guest rooms while locals frequented the first-floor businesses. Early on, the St. James’ lower floors included a restaurant, a bar, a billiard hall, and a barber shop. The hotel’s position near the Mississippi River ports kept it bustling for much of each year. A few years after opening, in 1878, the hotel even attracted the attention of then-president Rutherford B. Hayes, who dined there and gave a speech from the front steps.
1914
As the 1800s became the 1900s, Red Wing’s status as the wheat-trading capital faded. But, under the leadership of then-owner Charles Lillyblad, the St. James Hotel’s success continued. In 1914, a young woman, Clara Nelson, moved to town and started waitressing at the hotel. Charles took a keen interest in Clara, and the two were soon married. Together, they managed the St. James Hotel for the rest of their lives. Charles died in 1931, but Clara would continue being the proprietor of the hotel for four more decades, dying in 1972.
1977
After Clara’s death, her son, Art, started looking for buyers for the historic hotel. In 1977, he found one in the local Red Wing Shoe Company. The company undertook major renovations and some structural additions over the following years. Red Wing Shoes still owns and operates the St. James Hotel today, consistently renovating and updating it as needed. And while the St. James thrives in modernity, so too do its ghosts. Along with being one of Red Wing’s most highly-regarded hotels, the St. James is considered the town’s most haunted lodge.
Is the St. James Hotel Haunted?
With such a prosperous and positive history, it might be a wonder how the St. James Hotel came to be haunted at all. Well, the hotel’s first death purportedly happened before it was even finished being built.
Legend has it that a construction worker died during the St. James Hotel’s construction, and now haunts the building. Most often, this construction worker’s translucent figure can be spotted lingering on the main staircase.
Additionally, fifteen years after opening, the St. James had another, more major, brush with death. In 1890, tragedy struck Red Wing when a tourist barge in nearby Lake Pepin capsized and nearly a hundred people drowned.
It is said that the St. James Hotel served as a temporary morgue for some victims. Now, some wonder if the disaster left a few ghosts behind in the hotel.
A Ghost For Every Floor
One well-known but unidentified entity lingers on the St. James’ upper floors. This specter is known for being somewhat hostile and angry a lot of the time.
They are said to commonly slam guest room and stairwell doors around the hotel. Some reports claim this hostile ghost will attack or taunt guests, but there are no specific stories detailing that activity.
Where one St. James spirit may be hostile, others are known for simply being a little territorial.
Guests who explore the hotel’s basement sometimes report phantom faces materializing down there. Interestingly, witnesses to these ghostly faces say they will closely watch whoever is down there, sometimes hanging in the air continuously until the visitors go back upstairs.
The Hotel’s Phantom Proprietor
While the St. James Hotel has a few identified entities, the most well-known ghost is said to be Clara Lillyblad herself.
The longtime owner and operator may have never left her treasured hotel, as a woman’s figure is often seen lingering through the building. Witnesses say the woman, always wearing a white dress, bears a striking resemblance to Clara.
Interestingly, this woman in white also appears most often around Clara’s old residence in the hotel. And when she isn’t appearing before the living, Clara may still be working her old role as proprietor.
Downstairs in the restaurant, workers will often note objects being moved around tables and settings being rearranged. It’s as if a watchful manager is putting things back the way she likes them.
Cold Spots & Ghostly Cries
Along with all the mysterious apparitions and angry, watchful spirits, there are plenty of other unexplained reports all through the St. James Hotel. Strange cold spots are sometimes reported in guest rooms and public areas, always disappearing just as fast as they appear.
Pairing with that, guests occasionally report the sound of distant baby cries around the hotel, always without explanation.
Ghost Voices in Guest Rooms
Crying babies aren’t the only phantoms visitors might hear around the hotel either.
Some guests claim to hear disembodied voices muttering in their rooms at night. Over time, these claims have drawn ghost hunters to stay at the St. James. Some of these ghost hunters claim to capture these disembodied mutterings on audio recordings taken in their guest rooms.
St. James Hotel:
A Century and a Half of Hauntings
Almost a hundred and fifty years after it first opened its doors, Red Wing’s St. James Hotel remains an image of historic prosperity and modern success in the Minnesota town.
Under the ongoing ownership of the Red Wing Shoe Company, the St. James Hotel has maintained a strong reputation for its amenities, luxuries, and historic charm.
The St. James Hotel doesn’t often promote its ghost stories, nor does it offer any paranormal-themed tours or ghost hunts.
But, whether you’re a paranormal enthusiast or not, you can always book a room at the St. James and see for yourself. You might even be able to book Clara Lillyblad’s old room, if it’s available. Or you could stop into the restaurant and possibly see her there, forever running the St. James in spirit.
