31 Days of Halloween with The Kelly Society Day 11 - Haunted Pubs

31 Days of Halloween with

The Kelly Society

Day 11

Hey guys, it’s Josh from Java Hut; your favorite barista brewing up Pumpkin Spice Lattes all day long in October!

I told Vivien I like to research haunted pubs. In fact I made a list of all the ones I want to visit. She told me I have to post that information. Since my list is a long one (there’s a lot of haunted pubs out there) I’ll include three to share today.

The photo above is from inside the Ten Bells pub in East London. That pub was the last place Annie Chapman had a drink before being slaughtered by Jack the Ripper just a few streets over.

Here is an edited down version of what I found online from The Spooky Isles:

The Haunting Of The Ten Bells

The Ghostly Landlord

Since the 1990s, the upper floors of the Ten Bells have been reserved as living space for pub staff. Over the years, staff have reported encountering the disturbing apparition of a Victorian-era man. They claim this ghost likes crawling into bed with them. When they awaken, he is said to smile at them with blackened teeth and vanishes before they can speak. It is believed this unnerving apparition was a Victorian-era landlord who was murdered by an assailant never brought to justice for the crime. This ghost has also been spotted in the bar area leering at female patrons.

Annie Chapman’s Ghost

The ghost of a Victorian-era woman believed to be Annie Chapman is seen sitting at the bar. It’s the spot where Annie Chapman supposedly sat as she enjoyed her last drink before being carved up by the Ripper.

Pub staff say that before she manifests, a cold breeze blows through the bar. The disappearance of personal belongings and broken glasses have been blamed on the ghost of Annie. As well as pub staff being pushed by an unseen hand.

Wow! Do I want to go there! I’ll have to wait, but that is a spooky visit to look forward to. Also, Ten Bells is a stop on the Jack the Ripper tour in London if you want to see it for yourself.

Now back to our continent. I tracked down a haunting up in Portland, Oregon at a place called Old Town Pizza. I got the information below from the restaurant’s website.

The Haunting of Old Town Pizza

Old Town Pizza & Brewing was built directly above Portland's infamous Shanghai tunnels. The same tunnels that were used to house kidnapped sailors during the early 1900s.

A constant presence at Old Town Pizza is Nina (pronounced “Nigh-na”), our resident ghost. If you feel a presence behind you, or smell a faint waft of perfume, you may have just received a visit. Nina is often seen in a black dress observing diners and wandering the basement below.

Old Town Pizza sits in what used to be called the Old North End, a section of the city with a rather questionable reputation. Despite the upstanding clientele of the Merchant Hotel, even it was known for offering one of the oldest professions in the world: prostitution. As legend goes, one of the young “working women” was Nina, sold into this life by a thriving white slavery market. In an effort to clean up the neighborhood, traveling missionaries convinced Nina to share information in exchange for freeing her from a fate she did not choose. Nina cooperated but soon afterward was found dead in the hotel, now Old Town Pizza. Thrown down the elevator shaft, Nina is reported to have never left the building. Could it be Nina who carved her name in the brick of the old elevator shaft, now the backdrop of a cozy booth in the rear of the restaurant?

Dude! Now I’m hungry for pizza with a ghost sighting on the side. :)

Finally, we travel to New Orleans, Louisiana to visit May Bailey’s Place. I found the information below on their local Ghost City Tours website.

The Haunting of May Bailey’s

May Baily's Place is credited with being the first licensed brothel in New Orleans. The year was 1857, and police were cracking down on the red-light district by issuing fines to every establishment in an effort to clean up the city. May Bailey's offered to pay this fine to the city in advance because they had no intention on cleaning up their act. The brothel license is still displayed prominently on their wall. You'll also find red light bulbs positioned in the back patio and above the front windows which pay tribute, and remind guests of these original roots.

Before being a brothel, hotel or bar, the building was a convent that served as a hospital during the Civil War. In fact, the ghosts of confederate soldiers have not been shy about showing their faces. The Ghosts of Civil War veterans are said to roam about the haunted hotel and bar with their well-dressed ladies of the night. One of these soldiers is said to be a high-ranking General, seen pacing the courtyard worriedly. Guests have also reported bouncing beds they felt in the wee hours of the morning, and late afternoons. The ghost of a wayward gal, some believe to be a Baily employee, has reportedly haunted the bar for the last 40 years, moving about the bottles to her taste, and may also be the one responsible for locking men in the bathroom.

Of course, New Orleans is on my list of haunted cities to visit—especially May Baileys!

Thanks for hanging and letting me share my favorite “Hot Spots” as they say in the paranormal community. I hope you all get to visit one of them.

Happy Halloween!

Josh for

The Kelly Society