HAUNTED PLACE: The Social Parlor Building

ADDRESS:

805 Francis Street, St. Joseph, Missouri 64501.

LOCATION:

The building which this now closed business can be found, is located on Francis Street, between N. 8th and N. 9th, in the heart of the historic  business district which was built so long ago. 

MAP

DESCRIPTION / HISTORY:

This block long building housed a variety of smaller shops, with a restaurant / bar near the corner of Francis St. and N. 9th Street.   As of Sept. 2008, the businesses located in this building appear to be closed, and the building itself is up for sale. While the building itself appears to be in fairly good shape, the location is a bit run-down, in need of renovation. St .Joseph needs to revitalize, spruce up its historic downtown.  Making the buildings and commercial activity more appealing, would  give people a reason for going down town, like so many other cities have done.

The  Social Parlor was a small business that looks like they were trying to make a living through the party & event venue business. It had a stuccoed front, painted bright colors. Looking in the glass in the door, one can see  purple streamers, still hanging from the ceiling in its entry way.  It was across the street from an ugly,  gray employment building. Around the corner on N. 9th, is a  large apartment building, from a much earlier time, in need of TLC and paint.

Around the turn of the century.  this downtown section used to be an up and coming, bustling with business, attracting commercial endeavors, which created opportunities to prosper financially.  Many businesses set up shop in these store fronts over the years.  As St. Joseph expanded, the suburbs grew, drawing businesses and people way from the down town area, making it harder and harder to make a business a successful money-maker.

HISTORY OF MANIFESTATIONS:

In the Social Parlor commercial space, one of the businesses which occupied it was a fur shop and a furrier, who must of appealed to the upper-class and wealthy folks of St. Joseph, probably sometime in the eras, spanning the mid to late 19th century / early 20th century, before synthetics and factory-made clothes were popular.  In cold climates, fur was used for coats and other wraps / hats to keep people not only from freezing, but could also be a status symbol of personal wealth.

The furrier would sew together a variety of furs, from common to the more expensive in made-to-order clothing requests from customers.

I imagine this line of work was exact, with high standards in product control, and I bet was a bit stressful a times.  There was plenty of work required to be done for clients who had high expectations. If they were not pleased with what they bought, or how long it took to receive their order, bad word of mouth in a small town could bring economic problems. 

MANIFESTATIONS:

The entity who haunts this space has been identified as being from this furrier business.