Haunted Minnesota: Mr. Forepaugh's Deadly Affair

The Joseph Forepaugh House was home to the Forepaughs in the late 1800s...until "the incident" occurred.

The Victorian mansion, built in 1870, is an upscale restaurant in St. Paul today. Back then, it was home to Joseph Forepaugh, his wife, and children until a romantic rendezvous moved the family overseas. 

According to Travel + Leisure, Joseph Forepaugh had an affair with an Irish maid named Molly, who got pregnant with his child. When Mrs. Forepaugh discovered the affair, she moved the entire family to Europe, driving Molly to commit suicide. 

She hung herself from a small landing off a staircase in the home.

Years later, in 1892, Joseph Forepaugh turned a gun on himself while on a walk. Reports of the high-profile suicide stated that "no reason is known" for his self-inflicted death. 

Another gruesome Twin Cities death occurred at the Minneapolis City Hall, where Minnesota's final hanged man took three minutes to die. Read about the man's hauntings here.