Erin Michelle Ellerbrock | Lindenlink contributor

If you’re looking for something scary to do this Halloween season, look no further than your own neighborhood. St. Charles is known for its spooks and spirits due to its extensive (and at times violent) history.

Photo courtesy: Erin Michelle Ellerbrock

One of the best ways to educate yourself on the most haunted places in St. Charles is to sign up for a ghost tour. Currently, Dr. Michael Henry owns the market on these tours and you can learn more about them by visiting his website.

As the website says, you may encounter the unexplained on this tour.  If you’re not fortunate enough to see a ghost first hand, you’re sure to have a better understanding of how haunted St. Charles is by hearing the history behind the haunting. For example, many of the buildings on Main Street used to be brothels where violence, murder and suicide have taken place.

One of the most popular Halloween activities for the greater St. Louis area is to have dinner or spend the night at the famous Lemp Mansion. The mansion is located in South City near the popular Anheuser Busch brewery. If St. Louis is too far of a hike, have no fear, Dr. Henry says it’s unnecessary to go that far for a good scare. “When ghost hunters investigate the Lemp Mansion they rarely find anything, they get mad when I tell them that,” said Henry. “Main Street [St. Charles] is known as a power strip, meaning it’s full of paranormal activity.”

If you’ve ever been to Lewis and Clark’s restaurant during a busy sports event you may have experienced one of St. Charles most famous ghosts. On particularly busy nights when a sports game is on TV, is when the spirits are most active. “I like going up to the bar on busy nights, not to watch the game, but to watch the people get angry when the television turns off” said Henry.

Could this be a mischievous ghost messing with wound up patrons?

Jordan Hoffman, a St. Charles Ghost tourist said “I had no idea how much history there is on Main, I’m definitely coming back here with my camera.” Dr. Henry advises people to bring their cameras to the ghost tour and encourages them to send him any pictures that look ghostly. “I can tell you almost right away if your picture is a fake, I can’t always tell you if it’s real.” said Henry.

If you decide to take the St. Charles ghost tour it could change how you see Main Street forever.  “I don’t think I’ll ever come down here without thinking about ghosts again.” said ghost tourist Phil Boettge. “After knowing more of the history, it’s pretty obvious this place is haunted.”

Experiencing the paranormal is certainly a possibility on Main Street if you know where to look.  You never know, a spirit could be waiting for you when you least expect it.