The Haunting History of Bobby Mackey’s: An Introduction
Growing up in southern Ohio, I’ve heard my fair share of stories about Bobby Mackey’s. I’ve heard that it’s a portal to hell, that it’s haunted by star-crossed lovers, that Pearl Bryan’s head is at the bottom of the basement well.
Visitors claim to be pushed down the stairs, scratched, and kicked. There are claims that pregnant women often miscarry when in the basement of Bobby Mackey’s, a result of the murder or the Satanists often tied to this place, depending on who tells the story.
My interest was piqued a few years ago, when the location was abruptly removed from the Covington haunted tour route. The reason given was that due to violent and disturbing incidents that were happening during the tours to Bobby Mackey’s, the company could no longer ensure the safety of their guests at this location.
Chalk it up to my deep love of Buffy and her home on the hellmouth but I am fascinated by what makes a place a paranormal hub.
Sometimes, a place is just so eerie that it begs for stories. Other times, it’s linked to generations of trauma or cult activity. Sometimes, it’s tied to the land, energy-absorbent rock, ley lines, or burial grounds.
So let’s talk ghost stories.
The earliest occuring story surrounding Bobby Mackey’s begins before the bar was even there. Originally, on that lot, there was a slaughterhouse. Unless you’re vegan, that’s probably not going to keep you up at night but just go with me here. In the basement, there was an in-ground well where the blood would drain. When the slaughterhouse closed down, it became a hotbed of satanic activity. These savvy Satanists saw a whole in the ground of an abandoned building that had been filled with blood daily for years and they set up shop, already feeling like it had an energy about it. They practiced sacrifices there, using the same well as an inverted altar. It’s said that they opened a portal to hell.
A few miles away from the now Satantic slaughterhouse, was the location of one of the most notorious murders of its time. In 1896, Pearl Bryan’s head was cut off and never found. There are variations of this story. In one account, Pearl met her boyfriend and his roommate, both dental students in Cincinnati, at the slaughterhouse. There, they tried to perform an abortion on her but killed her in the process. They removed her head and put it in the well to prevent her from being identified and traced back to them. Another story says that Pearl’s boyfriend was actually one of the satanists and that he put her head in the well as an offering. All three of them, Pearl, her boyfriend, and the accomplice, are said to haunt the basement. Their haunting is only one of the reasons why pregnant women are rumored to be targeted by the paranormal at Bobby Mackey’s. The basement is said to be the most haunted part of the bar. This is where people are often physically injured.
Later, the location became a nightclub. The Latin Quarter was owned by the mob and the man who ran it was very controlling. He had a daughter named Johanna who danced at the club. Johanna Jewel fell in love with a singer at the club and the two often met in secret, fearing her father. When Johanna became pregnant, the two planned to run away and get married. But before they could, her father found out and killed her lover. Overcome with grief, Johanna killed herself in her dressing room. Johanna’s ghost is so famous and so active that Bobby Mackey himself sang a song about her. She haunts the main floor, steering clear of whatever nonsense is happening in the basement. Visitors can tell she’s near by her rose scented perfume and an overwhelming feeling of sadness.
In this series, I’ll be looking at the history and claims that surround Bobby Mackey’s bar in an attempt to find where these stories began. I’ll be taking a deep dive into the history of the location, researching the cases tied to it, and even exploring Bobby Mackey’s myself in order to see what the stories are all about.
If you’re interested in more, make sure to follow me. I’ll be posting once a week as I learn more about Bobby Mackey’s and other haunted locations around the midwest.
