There is an unexpected sight when one decides to visit a quiet residential neighborhood on the north side of Springfield, Missouri. Extending into a large lawn and now encircled by a chain-link fence, some barred gates, and warning signs, a massive gray limestone castle rises up from the earth, and it has been named the Pythian Castle. 

The Pythian Castle has a long history here in Springfield. It is known for being haunted by a myriad of spirits. To understand the stories of the castle, one must know the history behind it.  

The castle’s history starts in 1864 when the fraternal organization called the Knights of Pythias was founded. Their goal was to encourage kindness, generosity, and fraternity.  

They built the House of Pythian in 1913 mainly to house the children and elderly of the organization and became a center of interest for the surrounding community, bringing people together for a range of activities and events.  

The Knights of Pythias lost the house to the U.S. military during World War II, when the military demanded it be used as a hospital and home for wounded veterans recovering after their tours. While the house’s official use was as a hospital, the military brought and held prisoners of war in the basement “dungeon.”  

The Army Reserves later sold the house to Tamara Finocchiaro in 1993. Finocchiaro currently lives in the Castle and hosts tours, escape rooms, school dances, weddings, and many other events.  

The staff who work at Pythian Castle have noticed many strange occurrences. On the tour, the tour guide told a story that happened within the past year. The owner, Finocchiaro, was out of the country for a time and asked a friend to babysit the large building.  

She told him that the spirits of the castle would tell him things that he should know. He thought this was strange, but he was still very excited to stay in a 100-year-old castle, so he eagerly accepted. 

The first night the friend stayed in the Pythian Castle, a spirit woke him up. The spirit came to him as Finocchiaro and shook him while saying, “Wake up. Wake up. The dog is on the roof. You must get to the window and get the dog.”  

He knew that while he saw his friend Finocchiaro, she could not actually be there in the castle because she was across the ocean. When he finally woke, he went to the window and found the dog on the roof of the castle. He rushed to get the dog back inside and the next night he brought someone to stay with him.  

As they were sitting together, they started hearing sounds from all around them. The sounds went on for a while before his friend decided that they had had enough spookiness for one night. That was when they heard someone walking right past them even when there was no one else in the castle; they both decided to leave the castle. 

One spirit that may be heard on tours is nicknamed “Boots.” Boots lives in a hallway in the basement of the castle. He received his name because when he decides to make his presence known, one can hear the sound of his boots hitting the floor as he walks down the hallway. Other spirits have the voices of children or look like military men in uniform. 

There are many spirits that have been discovered at the castle. Several of them have a constant presence and have names given to them, and others have only been seen as balls of light in a picture.  

Over the years, several paranormal investigators and experts have gone to Pythian Castle to prove either that the spirits are real or a hoax. So far, it seems that the pictures taken, and the voices heard are real. Whether or not people believe in spirits, the Pythian Castle has a very interesting history and is an experience to visit.

Featured photo by Leila Ehrichs