Adventure: Landmark Center

I always make a habit of trying to sneak and adventure or two in whenever I travel, and certainly snuck a few into the agenda when I traveled to the Twin Cities in Minnesota for a Penguins game. One very interesting urban adventure: a quick ghost hunt at the historic Landmark Center.

Arising amid the relatively modern skyline in St. Paul, the century old Landmark Center is a beautiful castle mimicking European architecture of yore. Still in pristine condition and preserved for public use, this staple of Minnesota's capitol city has served as a home for government offices, court rooms, public gatherings, and-- according to many-- at least one bitter ghost.

Jack Peifer was a prominent gangster in the Twin Cities, the ringleader of busy speakeasy along the Mississippi River. When he got tied up with an event more violent gang, he was finally brought in and charged with counts of kidnapping, amongst many other crimes, in room 317 of the Landmark Center. He was sentenced to 30 years without parole, which would have consumed the remainder of his miserable life. Peifer was so distraught at this terrible fate, that he killed himself upon exiting. Now it seems that his soul is carrying out an even longer imprisonment, as he appears as a manifestation throughout the old castle and is blamed for unexplained phenomena such as the shattering of shot glasses and disappearance of alcohol--- appropriate for the spirit of a man who dodged Prohibition.

I figured a cold snowy day while I explored the city with Bilo, Mary, and Liz was a good chance to check the old legend out, eh?

Nothing seemed more appropriate in Minnesota than a little ice skating, and the rink right out front was free. While we showed off our Penguin pride the Landmark Center loomed just behind us on a very frigid day. The steps that faced us have been the site of many sightings of Jack, including some where he  allegedly turned up in photos. But as you can see not in any of mine.

After awhile we headed inside to warm up and just admire the grandeur of the opulent old architecture inside. Despite being built at the close of the nineteenth century, every detail was just immaculate. Funny place to be haunted really. Yet it was so dull and quiet, like something was looming but you just couldn't place what.

I wandered off from Bilo and the girls to explore for a bit and make my way into the basement where many sightings have occurred. I used the elevators which are said to be one of Jack's favorite spots. But the closest thing I found was a nifty exhibit in the basement dedicated to Jack's history as a gangster and many of his cohorts in the mobs of St. Paul during Prohibition.

Without much else to see and none of that cool ghost detecting gear on hand we left to grab a bite to eat and see our real objective of the day: the Penguins vs Wild Game!

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Let's Go Pens!
-Crash