Ep. 02 - Minnesota's Most Haunted - Part 1: Forepaugh's
- Alex Weston
- Oct 31
- 2 min read
Updated: Nov 1
The Forepaugh mansion was built in 1870 for dry goods merchant and shoe manufacturer Joseph Forepaugh and his wife Mary. Today, the mansion is famous for two things: fine dining, and being among the most haunted places in the state.
(Content Warning: suicide, death, depression, sexual exploitation)
Rumors of a haunting started soon after the historic mansion was converted into a restaurant in 1976. Customers and staff alike began reporting strange experiences, including hearing footsteps where no one was there, seeing objects move by themselves, and vanishing apparitions of a young woman and an older man, both in Victorian clothing.
Local folklore has identified these ghostly residents as the restless spirits of Joseph Forepaugh and a maid named Molly with whom he had an affair. After their affair was discovered, the story goes, both died by suicide and the restless spirits have haunted the house ever since,
Here at Minnesota Unknown, we pride ourselves on our research, and do not share any stories on our tour without first confirming every detail we can through primary sources. We have spent a great deal of time poring over old documents, searching for any details that might corroborate the legend of Molly. And what did we find? Listen on to find out!
Shownotes and Images:
Coming soon!
Watch this space, as soon we'll be adding some photos and illustrations, as well as a list of our sources for this episode.
Podcast Credits:
Minnesota Unknown is produced, hosted, written, and researched by Alex Weston, Hannah Norton, and Josie Bergmann. This episode was edited by Alex Weston. Our theme song is by Union Shakedown. This episode is copyright 2025 by Minnesota Unknown, LLC. All rights reserved.
If you would like to cite this episode in a scholarly work, use the following:
Weston, Alex, Hannah Norton, and Josie Bergmann. “Minnesota's Most Haunted - Part 1: Forepaugh's.” Minnesota Unknown. Produced by Minnesota Unknown LLC. October 31, 2025. Podcast, mp3 audio, 29:02. https://rss.com/podcasts/minnesota-unknown/2302290/
If you have questions, comments, corrections, complaints, or compliments, or would like to suggest a topic for a future episode, please email us at info@minnesotaunknown.com. We’d truly love to hear from you!