Lohman Building

One of Jefferson City's oldest commercial buildings, the Lohman Building was a 19th-century warehouse and river landing hub. Now part of the Jefferson Landing State Historic Site.

The Lohman Building stands in Jefferson City's historic riverfront district as one of the oldest surviving commercial structures in Missouri's capital city, a rough-hewn monument to the frontier era when the Missouri River was the lifeline of westward expansion. Built in the mid-nineteenth century by Charles Lohman, the building served at various points as a general store, a warehouse, a hotel, and even a hog pen -- a versatile history that reflected the raw, practical character of river-town commerce.

The building's position on the riverfront placed it at the center of Jefferson City's roughest neighborhood. The Missouri River brought steamboat traffic, transient workers, soldiers, and traders through the area, and the violence and hardship that accompanied frontier commerce left their marks on the Lohman Building and its surroundings. Death was a frequent visitor to the riverfront -- drownings, fights, disease outbreaks, and the general dangers of life on the western border all claimed lives within sight of the building's thick stone walls.

Ghostly activity at the Lohman Building has been reported for decades, though the documentation is more anecdotal than the well-investigated hauntings of other Jefferson City landmarks. Passersby have reported seeing a figure standing in the upper-floor windows of the building, watching the street below with what witnesses describe as an intense, unblinking stare. The figure appears most often at dusk and disappears when observers look away and look back, leaving the window dark and empty.

Inside the building, visitors on Jefferson City's ghost tours -- operated by the Central Missouri Paranormal Society -- have experienced sudden temperature drops that migrate through the rooms, the sound of heavy footsteps on wooden floors, and an unsettling feeling of being followed through the dim corridors. The building's connection to the Missouri River adds a layer of haunting that extends beyond its walls, as some researchers think the spirits of those who died in river accidents and steamboat disasters are drawn to the familiar landmarks of the riverfront.

The Lohman Building is now part of the Jefferson Landing State Historic Site, operated by Missouri State Parks. While it lacks the dramatic ghost stories of the nearby Missouri State Penitentiary, its frontier-era atmosphere and persistent reports of spectral watchers in the windows make it a compelling stop on any tour of Jefferson City's haunted history. The building stands as a reminder that the spirits of Missouri's roughest era haven't all moved on.