The history of Springfield is rich, adorned with over hundred-year-old landmarks, historical milestones and mystery. Some of the oldest and most authentic pieces of history line our streets, neighbor our homes and house our local businesses and residents. These places also hold the memories of the past — maybe even enough, as some believe, for the past to want to stick around.
Historical landmarks
One historical building that has surely caught the eye of every Springfieldian is Pythian Castle. The towering castle now operates as an event center for weddings and other events, but it was something very different in the early 1900s.
The name ‘Pythian’ comes from the title of the fraternal organization, The Knights of Pythias. The Ozark Knights, members of the Knights of Pythias, built the castle in 1911 as the Pythian Home, which housed orphans, the elderly and the widowed. The Knights of Pythias were known for this, as the organization was inspired by a Greek tale about two close friends, Damon and Pythias, who were willing to sacrifice themselves for each other, according to Route Magazine. They wanted to encourage this sense of brotherhood throughout the country, so the Knights of Pythias became the first fraternal organization to be chartered through an Act of Congress and began building Pythian castles throughout the country.
The people of Springfield raised $15,000 to have a Pythian castle built here. About 30 years later, social security was established, leading to less funding for the home as people were beginning to support themselves. The castle closed its doors in 1941 but not for long.
According to John Sellars, executive director emeritus of the History Museum on the Square, it was later put to use during WWII by the U.S. Army.
“From WWII, it was the headquarters, and it was where the offices were for the O’Reilly Hospital which was located there, and then when the hospital closed in the mid 1950s after the Korean conflict, the (U.S.) Army Reserve maintained that building and that's where the Army Reserve headquarters were.”
Thousands of wounded and sick soldiers were treated on the property during the war, and there was a dungeon on the property that held captured German and Italian prisoners of war, according to State of the Ozarks, an Ozarks culture magazine.
There have been reports from the owner of the castle, Tamara Finocchiaro, about something allegedly lingering around to this day — something she believes may be tied to the history of the building. Finocchiaro said that she and her mother had been searching in California for a historic building to hold events in, and when plans fell through, they stumbled upon Pythian Castle.
“I made a small joke to my mom, ‘I think the next one should be a castle,’” Finocchiaro said of the decision to buy Pythian Castle.
Finocchiaro said within weeks of moving into the castle she started noticing strange occurrences. She explained that she had never had any type of paranormal experience before, so she may have ignored a few signs at first.
“But some of them became a little too obvious,” she said. “The first one was just me hearing a voice say ‘hello.’ ”
She said that, while it was a friendly voice, she thought she was alone in the building. So she spent 15 minutes trying to find the source of the voice, but nobody was there.
There have been similar reports from guests, especially those participating in the ghost tours, who hear whistling or small steps as if children are playing. But Finocchiaro claims that what she hears the most are voices.
“They know my name, and they also know a lot about the people that work here a lot,” said Finocchiaro. “They pop thoughts into our heads that we can't explain. They made me go to one cookie shop in town and I’m like, ‘why am I going here?’ you know? And then the staff was like ‘how did you know this was my favorite cookie?’ ”
Finocchiaro thinks that these intriguing experiences are tied to the castle's many different eras. She believes there are multiple spirits residing in the castle, some children, the elderly and soldiers from the military era.
“Well, the military owned it for a good 50 years, so you know they’re the longest owner of the building. So yeah, we think we definitely have some of that energy here,” she says.
Finocchiaro added that there’s one particularly notable experience that resides with that belief. She said she had been woken up one night to the sound of gunshots and saw a dark figure standing at the end of her bed wearing army fatigue or a combat uniform.
“Nobody warned us, that's for sure,” Finocchiaro said of the hauntings.
Downtown deaths
Downtown Springfield is an attraction of its own, with its buzzing nightlife, eclectic shops and food scene and plenty of events and activities to fill your weekends with. The area is known for this atmosphere. However, the heart of Springfield is tainted with the dark history that preceded it.
Many buildings line the square and the surrounding area of downtown. While they now hold businesses, restaurants and apartments, most played a crucial role in the many tragedies that took place in the heart of Springfield.
The Battle of Wilson’s Creek marked the beginning of the Civil War, and it happened near the city. The battle was fought 10 miles southwest of Springfield, between the Federal Union, under Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon, and the Confederacy, under Major General Sterling Price. But the story is tied to downtown Springfield.
By early July of 1861, the Union, made up of 6,000 soldiers, attempted to storm the 12,000 Confederate soldiers who were 75 miles away, but retreated back to Springfield after realizing they were outnumbered. The Confederacy then followed Lyon and his troops back to Springfield, where they camped at Wilson’s Creek and prepared for battle, according to Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield Foundation.
“So the battle of Wilson’s Creek is the first major battle west of the Mississippi. It’s also the first major battle where a Union general is killed, and I believe it’s the first major battle in Missouri. So, a lot of firsts,” said Al Thompson, civics education coordinator for the History Museum on the Square. They said the Confederacy had won the battle of Wilson’s Creek, so they captured Springfield before the Union retook the city. Shortly after, the Confederate soldiers marched the streets of downtown in an attempt to retake Springfield from the Union. They marched, killing and capturing soldiers and civilians and setting buildings on fire. But the Union was successful in holding the city.
However, parts of downtown were burnt to the ground, and there were mass casualties littering the streets, leading to places like 311 S. Patton Ave., (Zan The Club and The Dive On Patton) and Tabak Co. becoming overwhelmed with the injured and the dead. It’s speculated that 311 S. Patton used to house the practice of the city’s single physician while Tabak Co. was the city’s undertaker, according to Thompson. They said that these two buildings are allegedly haunted, with 311 S. Patton being noted as one of the most active buildings in the city.
“We had a paranormal investigative team, and they clocked at least 60 spirits in this one building,” they said.
Thompson added that they used to know someone that worked at Civil Kitchen on the square, and when she would get off work and pass by the employees closing at Zan, they would tell her that they didn’t want to be there or close alone because they claimed there was something in the building watching them.
Thompson said it's likely that any spirits residing downtown are connected to the Battle of Wilson’s Creek and the Civil War, although they personally speculate that there could be one individual responsible for a lot of the paranormal activity in the area.
1865 marked the year that two infamous men returned to residency in Springfield. Davis Tutt, a veteran of the Civil War, and James Butler Hickok, a former police detective better known as ‘Wild Bill’ both found themselves drinking and gambling together often. They would frequent a downtown hotel called the Lyon House, now known as Arlo Bank on South St., said Alyssa Cartier, first impressions coordinator for the History Museum on the Square.
One night after a card game, Tutt had won, demanding $45 from Wild Bill. Not having the money, Wild Bill offered Tutt his gold watch until he could pay him. The next morning, tensions were high as Wild Bill tried to negotiate to get his watch back, but Tutt demanded the money and said he would keep the watch until the amount owed was paid.
Later on, both men found themselves positioned across the square. It’s estimated that Tutt was standing south of the square in front of the Heer’s building, while Wild Bill was on the southwest corner of the square, according to research by the Greene County Library history and genealogy staff.
Cartier suspects that Tutt flashed the watch at Wild Bill because seconds later both men pulled and fired their weapons in the first quick draw duel in Springfield. Tutt missed Wild Bill, although Wild Bill hit Tutt in the ribs and he died a few minutes later.
Thompson believes that if ghosts are real, Davis Tutt could be responsible for a lot of the activity reported downtown.
"I think for me it's easy to connect some of these primary locations to significant moments in Tutt's death and subsequent afterlife," they said.
They explained that after Tutt was shot in the heart of Springfield by Wild Bill, he was taken to 311 S. Patton (the physician's office) — now claimed to be the most haunted building downtown. His body was then taken to Tabak Co. (the undertaker) — another building considered to be active, including alleged reports of a shadow figure wearing a hat that resembles Tutt's. A lot of the most active locations downtown were stepping stones leading to Tutt's death, Thompson said.
“So this is where we get reports of our most malicious spirit.”
Thompson is referring to Civil Kitchen, previously known as Trolley’s Pub. Cartier said she has a friend that used to work at Civil Kitchen.
“She said that while she was closing, they would be closing at like 1a.m. after the bar would close, and she would always get a phone call to her (cell)phone. It didn’t have a number that she knew,” she said. “And she would answer it and nobody would be on the other line. Every night that she would close, she said she would get at least one phone call.”
Thompson added that while it was Trolley’s, there were reports of the feeling of being watched and being pushed up and down stairs. Now as Civil Kitchen, Thompson claimed that there have been reports of objects falling off shelves and even security camera footage being cut out only until after the object has fallen to the ground.
They believe that a lot of the activity could be residing from the battles that took place in Springfield.
Downtown Springfield has yet another dark side to its history. This heinous event changed the lives of three black men and the Black community in 1906. The Saturday before Easter Sunday, a mob of white people broke into the county jail, where three Black men were being held. Two of those men, 20-year-old Horace Duncan, and 21-year-old Fred Coker were being wrongfully held on robbery charges against a white man, while Will Allen who was also allegedly innocent, was a suspect in the murder of a Confederate soldier, according to research by the History Museum on the Square.
Three thousand white people broke into the county jail, while the sheriff and guards watched and even identified Horace and Duncan for the mob. Before leaving, they wanted to take one more person, so they grabbed Allen, too. Without due process or involvement from lawful authority, the mob dragged the innocent men to the square and publicly lynched and burned their bodies. This event sparked widespread fear amongst the Black community, and many left Springfield in fear for their safety, and state militia was brought in to protect the Black district. After a trial, the jury chose not to convict the people involved in the lynching. Today, there’s a historical marker in the northeast corner of Park Central Square, near where the tower the men hanged from once stood.
Significant stages
Theaters often create magical memories for guests. They take what isn’t possible and turn it into a possibility that you can experience through the screen. They bring plays to life with extravagant wardrobes, eye-catching props and guttural emotions that fill the stage. As a classic form of public entertainment, it's widely speculated that these historic halls may be where residual energy is drawn to.
Thompson said that they also believe theaters could be spiritual hotspots for the paranormal. They explained that the Gillioz Theatre has been a cultural monument in Springfield since the beginnings of Route 66. The theater was originally built in 1926 by M.E. Gillioz as a vaudeville establishment — or a theater that would primarily show comedy acts and silent films, according to Cartier. Thompson said, from then on, big things were happening there that made it a popular spot downtown.
It’s said that Gillioz put down a 100-year lease on the building so that he would always have an entrance near the opening of Historic Route 66. The Gillioz is known as a staple stop along the route. By the 1950s the theater had transitioned to primarily screening movies, and in 1952 one of Ronald Reagan’s movies, ‘The Winning Team,’ premiered there. It’s also rumored that Elvis Presley allegedly snuck away from one of his shows at the Mosque Shrine to see a showing at the Gillioz Theater, according to Cartier.
Thompson said that while there haven’t been reports of malicious activity at the Gillioz, they have heard the exact same sighting from two different people, 20 years apart. They said that an employee at the History Museum claims that he had two friends that worked at the Gillioz 20 years apart, and they both unknowingly told him the exact same experience during their time working there.
“So one of his friends in the (19)40s and one in the 60s both reported seeing a sleeping man in the center section of the theater during a Sunday matinee showing,” they said. “And when they both went to approach him, again this is 20 years apart, the closer they got to him the more he disappeared, and by the time they got to where his seat was the man had completely disappeared.”
Thompson said that they also know of a death that occurred in the Gillioz. Martin Kirschner had been a projectionist for the theater since 1926 when it opened. He was showing a film on New Year's Eve in 1962 when he had a sudden heart attack and died right in the projection room, according to Thompson. They said that people will allegedly see a figure in the projection booth, believed to be Kirschner.
Another historical landmark that is a familiarity within downtown culture is the historic Fox Theatre. This theater was originally built in 1916 as a vaudeville establishment before transitioning into a movie house called The Electric Theatre.
“There is then is a fire that burns down this building and basically this entire quadrant of the square in 1947,” Thompson said.
They explained that the fire started at a hardware store nearby due to an oil-based paint accident, causing the fire to spread and the theater ceiling to cave in.
“They didn’t realize they needed to evacuate the building until after the ceiling started to crack,” Thompson said. They added that the building was then reconstructed into the Fox Theatre by 1949, and the current facade as the historic Fox Theatre is original to that rebuild.
No deaths were reported from the fire, however, Cartier said the alleged sightings that have been reported in the historic Fox Theatre are dressed for the occasion.
“He’s in a pinstriped suit, usually is what they describe him as wearing,” she said, adding that this male figure is usually seen peering through doorways. “Also of a woman in a red dress walking down these stairs too.”
Thompson said it's hard to say if these reports are directly connected to a historical event that took place in the building. But they speculate that it's likely these sightings are from the building's past, because the essence of both the tragedy and the happy memories that took place are still encompassing Springfield’s historical staples.
