ABOUT "Bobby Mackey's Haunted History"
The darkness that many believe surrounds Bobby Mackey’s started many years ago, when the building was used as a slaughter house. The well in the basement was the perfect way to dispose of the bloody animal parts. Eventually a “blood well” was created in the basement of the old slaughterhouse. Years later, a few locals found a new use for the old well and the abandoned basement. You guessed it. Satanic rituals. Oh you didn’t guess that? Let’s continue.
The walls of the basement are rumored to have witnessed unspeakable things. Tales of human sacrifice were born during this stage of Bobby Mackey’s Haunted History. Even stories of handicapped children being sacrificed, have been told. The secret occultists that met in the basement managed to keep it a secret for the most part. Their rituals and meetings slipped under the radar until a beautiful local girl, by the name of Pearl Bryan, came along.
Pearl Bryan was a popular young lady, with her choice of many local men. However, it was a man by the name Scott Jackson that managed to win Pearl’s heart. Pearl was introduced to Jackson by her cousin. He seemed to have a very bright future and was a student at the Ohio College of Dental Surgery. Pearl and Jackson seemed to be the perfect couple, except for one little thing. Those secret Satanists that met in the basement of the slaughter house? He was one of them.
Pearl was unaware of Jackson’s double life as a basement occultist. She loved and trusted him dearly. Soon, the unthinkable happened. Pearl became pregnant with Jackson’s child. Although this may sound like a fairy tale, so far..It is not. You see, Pearl and Scott were not married. This was considered taboo in those days. Both Pearl and Scott’s families would have been shamed. Not to mention all of those dreams that Scott Jackson had. Dreams that did not involve being a father. Soon Jackson had hatched a plan and on February 1st, 1896..He set it into motion
Pearl was five months pregnant on this night, but had agreed to Jackson’s plan to perform an abortion. A procedure like this was unheard of in those times and Pearl knew it was dangerous, but agreed anyway. She met Jackson and his roommate to enact the plan. She had no idea that she would soon be dead and an intricate part of Bobby Mackey’s dark history.
Scott was a student of Dental surgery and was not even a doctor yet. His skills were minimal and soon his plan had taken a turn for the worse. When the drugs that Jackson believed would cause an abortion failed to succeed, Jackson turned to his dental tools. After an hour of crude surgery and unimaginable terror, Pearl was still with child. At this point, Pearl was bleeding profusely and screaming in agonizing pain. Her screams were loud enough to cause Jackson to panic and fear that his secret surgery would be discovered. It was then that he turned his attention to Pearl. He had to stop her screams. So he did.
Jackson and his roommate murdered Pearl Bryan that night. Jackson used his dental tools to cut off her head. Not too far from Bobby Mackey’s, is where her headless body was eventually found.She was only identified by her shoes. It was later learned that her head had been used in some kind secret of ritual in the old basement and then tossed into the well. At least that is what many believe. Jackson never actually revealed the location of her head. He also never shared details about the ritual that was performed that night, in what would one day become Bobby Mackey’s Music World.
Jackson and his roommate were hung for their crime on March 21st 1897. Some locals claimed that just before he was hanged, Jackson’s roommate vowed to return from the dead and haunt the area. Ever since, reports of a headless woman have been made on several occasions at Bobby Mackey’s Music World. Many believe that it is the ghost of Pearl Bryan. They say that Pearl Bryan now eternally resides at Bobby Mackey’s. Some blame the ritual performed on the night of her death, for her spirit’s attachment to the property.
Soon after, the old slaughterhouse was torn down and a new building put in it’s place. During the prohibition, it was used for illegal gambling and drinking that resulted in many murders on the site. Many of these cases were never solved and the bodies never found.
After prohibition was lifted, the building was used for a number of nightclubs and drinking holes. Involvement with Cincinnati mobsters, more illegal activity, murder and even suicide continued to haunt the building. One owner named “Buck” Brady ended his own life there in 1965 after selling out to local mobsters.
One of the more notable nightclubs that once thrived in the building was known as “The Latin Quarter”. The owner of the bar had a lovely daughter named “Johanna” and was very protective of her. When Johanna fell madly in love with a singer at her father’s nightclub, he used his mobster connections to have the singer murdered. His daughter was so depressed by her fathers actions, that she attempted to kill her own father and then sadly, took her own life. Her body was found in the basement near the old well. Eerily, she was found to be exactly five months pregnant when she died. Just like the young and beautiful Pearl Bryan so many years before.
Then came Bobby Mackey, a popular singer in Kentucky. He decided to buy the building in 1978 and it has been used as a nightclub ever since. It has been somewhat suiccessful, although the haunted tales of paranormal activity have not seemd to hurt business at all. The club has been featured on many popular televison shows, including “Ghost Adventures“. Bobby Mackey’s proved to be one of the best and most terrifying locations ever featured on the show. many paranormal investigations have been done to find evidence of the reports.
People have reported seeing ghostly apparitions, hearing disembodied voices and even being attacked by unseen forces, while inside of the haunted nightclub. Although nobody is sure what the source of the evil that resides at Bobby Mackey’s is, there are very few that doubt the existence of this evil.
No matter what may be causing the many ghosts and terrifying experiences at Bobby Mackey’s, one thing is certain. Bobby Mackey’s Music World will remain one of the most fascinating and Haunted Places in America, for a very long time.
44 Licking Pike, Wilder, Kentucky, 41071
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Suitable for all guests and families (HALLOWEEN FUN)
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Needless to say, many investigators, employees and patrons believe that Bobby Mackey’s is haunted, and Matt Coates has resigned himself to what he hopes will be a peaceful co-existence with whatever may be present at the establishment. He says hello to the spirits when he arrives at work, and tells me that he asks them “not to mess with me when I’m not in the mood.” While Mackey wouldn’t go so far as to formally acknowledge the ghosts, he does pay tribute to the famous legend when he performs his song “The Ballad of Johanna.”
Coates was there when the crew from Ghost Adventures came back to investigate the honky-tonk for the second time. Those interested in conducting an investigation of their own can contact the club directly. A six-hour investigations can take place on weeknights for a $595 fee. Or, if you’re just looking for a ghost tour, those take place on weekends during normal club hours for $5. Regardless of whether or not you spot any ghosts during your visit, you’ll definitely have an experience – even if it’s just a strange, overwhelming desire to line dance to genuine country music, or getting possessed by the effects of Miller Lite and taking a ride on the mechanical bull.
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