Overview
Minnesota’s Haunted St. James Hotel
It’s not often that a hotel embraces its haunted past. Many hotels will rebuke the lore of ghost sightings and paranormal activity. Red Wing, Minnesota’s St. James Hotel embraces it. Ask for the haunted rooms and they’ll direct you to the 3rd floor. Room 310 is Clara’s room, the ghost of Clara Lillyblad who owned the hotel from 1932 to 1972.
The hotel was erected in 1875 during Red Wing’s wheat-trading boom and was one of the most modern hotels of its time. Sitting blocks from the steamboat docks and train depot, the hotel was a hub for business owners and travelers alike. Several of those guests appear to have stuck around a bit.
Haunted Hotel Rooms & Floors
- 3rd floor is where most of the hotel’s ghost sightings have taken place.
- Room 310 is Clara’s room.
- The basement is said to be haunted and some have reported seeing faces staring back at guests.
- All floors may be haunted by the ghost of a worker who fell to his death during the building of the hotel. He also has been seen on the grand staircase of the Saint James in his overalls.
- All floors have seen an spirit that slams doors, cold spots, whispering voices, and the cries of children at many times during the hotel’s history
Suggestion for Your Haunted Stay
When reserving a room, ask for the haunted rooms. The hotel will make accommodations to try and make your stay as spooky as possible.
I came to this Saint James hotel several years ago for my sister’s reception. When we were looking the place over I kept feeling like something was there, ya know that eerie sensation. I told my family and they just made jokes about it. Night of the reception comes around and about an hour in I feel this intense wave of anger, frustration, sadness, and fear. I was literally sobbing, begging my family to let me leave because I was more terrified than I had ever been. It was the most emotion I’ve ever felt in my life. My father asks the woman at the desk if the place is haunted and she laughs and says no. So at this point, my family thinks I’m crazy and not until FIVE YEARS LATER DO I FIND OUT yeah, it’s actually haunted. Finally some validation. Thanks so much for the info.
Around 1:00-2:00am at the St James my hotel phone rang when I answered it no one was there so me and my friend got scared it rang again so I unplugged it and threw it in the corner. Me and my friend ran down the grand staircase and told our parents and they made up an excuse saying that it was just someone telling us pizza was ready. So we went upstairs and went to bed around 5:00 am and i thought my friend went to the bathroom and left the light on and door open but she was still in bed. She told me that I should go back to sleep and
This comment got cut off, but we were on the edge of our seat!
My family lives in redwing and my uncle used to work at the hotel a while ago and he said that one night a group of guys were checking out of the hotel in the middle of the night because they woke up and saw the ghost of Clara standing at the end of their bed. We also go to the St. James a lot and go to the third floor to see if anything happens 🙂
About 2 years ago. My mother had a wedding at this hotel. So we visited the saint james very frequently. The very first time I had been there there was a very heavy feeling in my chest. But when the wedding night was happening, lots of encounters happend. Me and my cousin were on the 3rd floor, wich is supposedly the most haunted floor. At the beginning of the night, we heard the phone ring. My cousin picked up and the was only static. The phone rang once again that night. My mother was with us then and my cousin picked up. She turns to look at us and had a white face. We unplugged the phone and put it as far away from us as possible. Later on that night my cousin heard someone in the bathroom. The light was turned on and the door was open. And keep in mind that before we went to bed, we both had said that we would not prank each other or go to the bathroom alone.so she had said “Go to bed!” But u had woken up and said that I was right beside her in bed. We later told one of the clean up crew that the phone was ringing consistently and he smiled. Just smiled. The weirdest smile ever. We will never know to this day what had happend. But we plan on returning
I stayed there on the third floor back in 2014. I heard that it was haunted supposedly. I’m not a fan of ghosts but it was a work trip. So anyhoo my room was straight out of the 1800s in decor. This was actual old furniture from original rooms. So now I’m a bit uneasy. So I go to bed. I left the bathroom light on a door closed a bit. Yes, I’m a frady cat. So I’m sleeping and I feel my arms are cold. I realize the cover was on the floor. So strange but not too odd right? So back to sleep I go.
At 3:20 I wake up to the feeling that someone or thing is holding my hand in bed. Kinda like you do to a spouse. But it was cold. I jerked my hand away and jumped up from the bed. Unbelievable as it sounds. A very faint silhouette of a woman was standing next to the bed!!! Holy carp I was frozen. You’d think a person would run out but I couldn’t move. Like frozen. I got the courage to get to the door and leave.
Now I’m in the hall with my boxers half freaking out. Then another unforgettable thing happened. The adjacent room’s door slowly opened. I mean shit I’m freaked. This blonde woman peeked out and looked scared. She saw me in my boxers and didn’t laugh. She started to cry. Apparently, her grandmother was Clara. And I was in Clara’s room. She asked if I would stay with her till morning. Well, as strange as it was I said yes. The girl was about 22 and radiant blonde hair. I thought it was a dream but here I am in bed with her. Nothing happened. We fell asleep. No small talk at all. Strange. Nothing. I woke up at 8:30 and she was gone. No clothes or anything in the room. So I go back to my room. Grab my stuff and go to the front desk. I told the clerk what happened. Her face dropped. There wasn’t anyone in the room next to me. It was empty. Plus Clara was a supposed ghost. And her granddaughter, the blonde died in the house place. So holy crap I never went back. Got another room in town.
I went there in June. Upon entering I immediately felt uneasy. The air was thick and I could feel intense emotions. It wasn’t pleasant. I knew spirits were around me. That night around 3 am I woke up and looked at the window in front of my bed. Suddenly, dark lines began to come down from each side of the window. My eyes were not playing tricks. I heard that this hotel was built on an ancient native burial ground. I was eager to leave because I felt heavy as if I were experiencing negative emotions.