The story of the Lemp beer dynasty has drawn public interest for generations. Yet, along with the innovations in brewing and creative use of St. Louis’ cave systems, it is a string of tragedies — and the supposedly haunted mansion that bears their name — that have made the family infamous.
But local historians say there is much more to the Lemp family story than fodder for ghost stories and true-crime lore.
“I was given the opportunity by the owner of the Lemp brewery to basically explore all the cellars and every nook and cranny of the cave where all the beer used to be stored,” said author and researcher Chris Naffziger. “No spirits ever came and said hello.”
On St. Louis on the Air, Naffziger described how his initial fascination with Adam Lemp — a German immigrant who founded the Lemp beer dynasty with a saloon in 1840 — led him to scour business documents and other records to explain how the business became an empire…