Forepaugh's Restaurant, Saint Paul, MN, Guida per visitatori e cosa fare nei dintorni

Forepaugh's Restaurant is a Victorian mansion at 370 Wabasha Street North in Saint Paul, Minnesota, built in the 1870s as the home of businessman Joseph Forepaugh and now a restaurant. It is best known for a local ghost story about a young maid named Molly, which staff and owners have shared for years.

The story behind it

Joseph Forepaugh was a successful businessman who built this three-story house as a showpiece of his wealth and standing. He employed several servants, among them a young maid named Molly. According to the local legend, the two began an affair, Molly became pregnant, and she was left facing shame and isolation. The story says she died by suicide on the third floor. It is a sad tale, and the details come from oral tradition rather than documents, so treat it as folklore.

The legend says Molly never left. Staff describe lights on the third floor that come back on shortly after being switched off at closing time, and they call it Molly's light. Some people also say Joseph's spirit lingers in the house, and that the two still keep company. Employees speak of both with affection, as odd but familiar colleagues, rather than with fear.

What to look for

• Study the full height of the mansion from the street, and note how its three stories and Victorian proportions still read as a private home rather than a restaurant.
• Look up at the third-floor windows, the place where the legend of Molly's light is said to play out.
• Notice how the house sits among the older buildings of its neighborhood, which gives a sense of how Saint Paul looked when merchants built grand homes here.
• If you dine inside, look for the preserved Victorian character of the rooms, which the restaurant has worked to keep.

Tips for your visit

• Allow 10 to 15 minutes to see the exterior and read the surroundings, or longer if you are booking a meal.
• The building is a working restaurant, so going inside usually means dining. Check current opening hours and whether you need a reservation.
• Dusk is a good time to visit, when the windows are lit and the ghost stories feel more at home.
• The mansion is close to Irvine Park and the downtown riverfront area, so it combines easily with a wider walk through this part of Saint Paul.

See it on a quest

Ghost Hunt in Saint Paul, MN suits this stop well. You walk to the mansion as one stop on a longer route through the city, the app tells you about the place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group, and you can start whenever you like.

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Saint Paul, MN also passes Forepaugh's. It is a self-guided walk with no tour group to join: the app gives you the story of each place as you reach it and sets a puzzle in what is in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group.