The Haunted Pythian Castle

Posted: 03.19.2025 | Updated: 03.19.2025

A majestic castle towers over the city of Springfield, providing visitors with an exceptional place for photo ops as well as a grand location for special events like weddings or banquets. But this early 20th-century structure, which was once an orphanage and later part of a military hospital, is not considered a warm and welcoming place by the locals who know the truth.

If you’re interested in learning about the historical and haunting places throughout Missouri, be sure to book your next ghost tour with us here at St. Louis Ghosts for a thrilling, good time!

Is the Pythian Castle Haunted?

The grand Pythian Castle, complete with towers, a grand foyer, and an elegant ballroom, was designed to be a hospitable place of residence for orphans and the elderly in the early 1900s. 

While it sounds like a magical place for both young and old to reside, in reality, this castle is believed to be haunted by the ghosts of tormented souls who once called it home.

The History of the Pythian Castle

The Pythian Castle originally opened in 1914 as the Pythian Home of Missouri. It was built by the Ozark Knights, who were members of the fraternal organization, the Knights of the Pythias.

Who Were the Knights of the Pythias?

The Knights of the Pythias was an organization founded in the early 1900s by a teacher, actor, and music composer named Justus H. Rathbone. He was working as a clerk for the U.S. Treasury when he started the foundation in 1864. 

He got the idea for the foundation from a play by Irish poet John Banim. The story focuses on two close friends, Damon and Pythias, and tells the tale of their willingness to sacrifice themselves for the sake of another.

Rathbone felt this message was an important one to share following the aftermath of the Civil War, which tore the country apart. He felt the nation could begin to heal with a renewed spirit of brotherhood. Upon learning about the organization, President Lincoln expressed his approval of the mission, and the Knights of the Pythias became the very first fraternal organization in the country to be chartered through an Act of Congress.

Building the Pythian Castle in Springfield

The Knights began building their castles throughout the country in cities such as Boothbay Harbor, Maine, Kentucky, and San Diego, California. As the popularity of these castles grew across the nation, the people of Springfield wanted a Knights of Pythias castle to call their very own.

They held a campaign and raised $15,000 to set the project in motion. Ground was broken for the construction of the castle in 1911, and construction was completed in 1913.

Life Inside the Pythian Castle

There was a grand celebration held in Springfield when the Pythian Castle officially opened. The community was pleased with how they came together to support those in need. But things were not exactly as they appeared.

The residents were referred to as inmates, which was considered the common lingo of the day, yet it still seems to be a dismal way to put it. Everyone staying in the home had a role to play. 

Some helped with farming and gardening while others took care of daily chores. One newspaper piece about the residents said the atmosphere inside the castle was like that of a large family. However, it’s uncertain if that’s how the residents felt about it.

In 1935, when Social Security was signed into law, there was less funding for institutions like the Pythian Home, as many of the elderly were able to move into nursing homes or support themselves with their new source of income. In October of 1941, the home closed its doors.

The Castle Becomes an Extension of an Army Hospital

The doors of the Pythian Castle didn’t stay closed for long. At the start of the Second World War, the army already had plans to build the O’Reilly General Army Hospital next door to the Pythian Castle. 

Since the castle was no longer in use, the Army purchased the property for $40,000 to use as an extension of their hospital. Thousands of sick and wounded soldiers were treated there during times of war. Additionally, dependents of local veterans also received care at the outpatient clinic.

Transfer to the Taylor Family

By the end of WWII, O’Reilly General Army Hospital closed its doors, and the building was later reopened by the Veterans Administration as a tubercular hospital and served chronically ill patients until 1952. While the hospital’s property was later sold and converted to an Evangel University, the Pythian Castle was retained by the U.S. Army and used as an army reserve center.

In the early 1990s, the U.S. Army decided it no longer needed the Pythian Castle, and it was placed up for sale again, this time bought by a farming family, the Taylors.

Taylor’s ownership of the castle didn’t last very long, and the property went through several hands before it was eventually sold to its current owner, Tamara Finocchiaro, who moved into the castle with her mother.

Tamara converted the old orphanage into an event center, hosting everything from weddings to corporate meetings. And she has sensed some spirits from the past still lingering around the old castle.

The Dark Side of the Pythian Castle

Since Tamara has taken over ownership of the castle, she has provided tours to the public, sharing the history of the building as well as some insight into ghostly encounters. 

She is a firm believer in the fact that the Pythian Castle has plenty of ghostly residents and has experienced many hauntings herself. Visitors to the castle and staff members have also mentioned some strange happenings.

Tamara stated hearing disembodied voices in the corridors, and the lights would turn on and off by themselves. Visitors often complain the batteries in their cameras and other devices drain faster than usual. 

There are cold spots throughout the castle that will come and go without any warning. Objects, even heavy furnishings, have been known to move on their own.

One visitor to the castle stated that they had gone on many tours, and during one, they were walking around the basement when they felt a strange and sudden chill. They were certain they had just encountered a ghost at that very moment.

Haunting the Housesitter

A friend of Tamara’s stayed at the castle for a while as Tamara went out of the country. She warned him ahead of time that the spirits in the castle would try to speak to him. He didn’t seem too concerned about her warning and was excited for the chance to stay in a 100-year-old castle.

On his first night there, the spirits woke him up. They came to him just like Tamara had told him and shook him out of his sleep, telling him to wake up. They told him the dog was on the roof, and he had to go to the window to retrieve him.

At first, he believed it was Tamara speaking to him, but when he was fully awake, he realized she wasn’t there. He got up to look out the window and saw that the dog was indeed on the roof just as the spirit said. He rushed to get the dog back inside and the next night he brought someone else to stay at the castle with him.

As they were sitting together in the living room, they began hearing strange sounds all around them. It went on for a while before the friend decided they had enough of the spookiness. That is when they heard someone walking past them. After that, they both decided to leave.

Tamara says she often speaks to the spirits in the castle. She believes they are the spirits of the elderly people who died there, or perhaps WWII soldiers who were being treated at the adjoining military hospital. She has stated, “There are real people and some not-so-real people. They know my name.”

Haunted St. Louis

The Pythian Castle was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.  Apart from some water damage due to a leak in the roof, the building is still in great condition. The setting may have changed, but the Pythian home retains an image of integrity as well as a place where dozens of ghosts continue to reside.

If you are interested in learning more about places like the Pythian Castle in Missouri, be sure to check out our blog for chilling tales about the most haunted locations. And don’t forget to book a tour with us here at St. Louis Ghosts for an exciting and eerie adventure!

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Sources:

• https://pythiancastle.com
• https://www.springfieldmo.org/listing/pythian-castle/1281/
• https://sgfcitizen.org/economy-growth/the-haunting-history-of-pythian-castle/
• https://www.stlmag.com/culture/travel/springfield’s-pythian-castle-has-history-and-mystery-to-spare/
• https://www.springfieldmo.org/things-to-do/attractions/pythian-castle/
• https://www.routemagazine.us/stories/the-mystery-of-pythian-castle
• https://www.ozarksfirst.com/news/springfield-news/frightly-news-investigates-a-dozen-ghosts-haunt-pythian-castle/#:~:text=Finocchiaro%20says%20she%20thinks%20there,heard%20throughout%20the%20entire%20building.
• https://drurymirror.org/2023/11/01/the-pythian-castles-haunted-history/
• https://www.reddit.com/r/springfieldMO/comments/12mm3x8/anyone_here_ever_actually_seen_the_lady_in_white/
• http://stateoftheozarks.net/showcase/2019/01/08/castle-ghosts-pythian-castle/