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 Just a short jaunt to the west of St. Louis Missouri will brings you to a quaint little town called Hillsboro, Missouri. Nestled away in the rolling hills of the area, a small river outside of town is the local meeting place for many locals and weekenders from St. Louis. Just up the banks from the river sits an old deserted building, odd in shape and size. First glance, the building reminds you of the old steam boats that travel up and down the Mississippi River, east of the area. A second glance reminds you of days gone by and a buzzing place surrounded by vacationers and families wanting to get out in the countryside for a while. On July 17th our team traveled the 150 miles south to get a chance to experience these glances into the past. With temperatures reaching 93 degrees when we left home we watched in dismay as the temperature began rising in our vehicles the closer we came to Hillsboro. By the time we stepped out of our cars and landed our feet on the road infront of the ominous Morse Mill Hotel the temps had reached 98 degrees. The sweat had already begun to trickle as we approached the front door to look inside. There she was, the lovely lady who has more history slapped away inside of her then the history books could hold.. Charlie Chaplain, Al Capone, moonshiners, ladies of the night and one particular local woman named Bertha Gifford. With this information already firmly planted in our heads we looked forward to walking inside and finding out whether or not the hotel still holds in it's clutches any of the souls who once danced here. The following pieces are photos, videos and electronic voice phenomena that we picked up on our night's visit on July 17th. Perhaps not as active as it has been for other investigators but ... it was hot, and if spirit activity can feel hot, they were moving as slow as we were. Welcome to the Morse Mill Hotel.
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If only the bricks and mortar could reveal every detail of every person who came through the doors of the Morse Mill Hotel. Indeed celebrities, of every walk of life came to this little hotel that sat far enough away from the public that they could let their hair down for awhile. In a time of prohibition, silent films, and Babe Ruth came one person who was very much a part of the mortar that surrounded the hotel. Bertha Alice Williams Gifford grew up in this area of Missouri and was one of the best cooks around. She was also known as one of the loveliest women in the area too. The hotel was the perfect surrounding for her to meet many of the people who would walk through the hotel. Little did they know that Bertha had a special attachment to one spice in particular......arsenic. Believing that she was actually doing good she would lace chocolates for the children and biscuits for the adults. At the age of 53 Bertha was finally arrested and found guilty of killing at least 4 people but most believe she killed many more. She was tried and found not guilty by reason of insanity. She spent the rest of her days in a asylum for the mentally insane. Bertha died in 1951 but the questions remains today, did she really ever leave the Morse Mill Hotel. Many search for the answer to that question today and the Morse Mill Hotel seems just as alive now as it did when Bertha was cooking up her specialties.
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Morse Mill Hotel
