The Most Haunted Pub In America?

The Most Haunted Pub In America?

Haunting Or Not St. AugustinePhoto byJohn Jay Wiley Haunting Or Not Podcast

In this episode of the Haunting Or Not Podcast. Was this the most haunted pub in America? Scarlett O'Hara's was located in St. Augustine, Florida.

St. Augustine is a city on the northeast coast of Florida. It lays claim to being the oldest city in the U.S., and is known for its Spanish colonial architecture as well as Atlantic Ocean beaches like sandy St. Augustine Beach and tranquil Crescent Beach. The Castillo de San Marcos is a 17th-century Spanish stone fortress with views of the St. Augustine Inlet. We Love St. Augustine, Florida and have visited there many times.

Scarlett O'Hara's was a pub in St. Augustine Florida at 70 Hypolita St. The business was closed when they lost their lease and the building was sold. Scarlett O'Hara's was also known as the Ghost Bar and was reported to be the most haunted Pub in Florida, if not America. The original building at 70 Hypolita St was built in 1870, and was reported to be haunted by two ghosts.

Known as the "Ghost Bar," the upstairs pub derives its name from the resident specter of the restaurant. This spectral presence is so cherished by the establishment that they hang his stocking during the Christmas season.

Employees report a series of eerie occurrences attributed to him, such as triggering burglar alarms, shifting chairs mysteriously, startling guests, and even igniting candles without a visible source. Visitors claim they can faintly sense his fingers gently tapping their shoulders, and he's notorious for tampering with the thermostat.

Constructed in 1870, the establishment was commissioned by George Colee for his fiancée, a woman he was deeply infatuated with and soon to marry. The residence was intended to be her wedding gift. However, George's world crumbled when he discovered that Marina had abandoned him for another man—a soldier stationed at Fort Marion. This scandalous affair sent shockwaves through St. Augustine.

Shortly thereafter, George met another woman, though their romance was short-lived. He lavished her with the trappings of marriage and moved her into the Hypolita Street house. Tragically, George was found lifeless in his bathtub without warning.

Suspicion surrounded his death, leading to sensational speculation. Some suspected foul play, even implicating his first fiancée, though there was no concrete evidence. Suicide was also considered, though it appeared unlikely.

It's a common belief that those who meet premature deaths tend to linger in places they held dear, and murder victims often become the subject of poltergeist sightings. Does George Colee continue to frequent his former residence, or is this a manifestation seeking to shed light on the mystery surrounding his untimely demise?

Patrons of the Ghost Bar have reported hearing sounds of splashing water and faint moans, while those sensitive to spiritual energies believe that George replays a haunting monologue of his final moments alive.

George isn't the sole spectral inhabitant of the property, however. Another male presence has been glimpsed on the first floor, seen pulling out a barstool, sitting briefly, and then vanishing. Could this specter be seeking to order more than just spirits?

While we may never definitively identify the identities or the number of spirits that haunt Scarlett O'Hara's, one thing is certain—they're making the most of their time in this unique, two-story wooden structure that has been entertaining guests for decades. Comprising two nineteenth-century homes interconnected by a spacious first-floor porch, these structures were built fourteen years after the Civil War, possibly retaining residual energies from the post-war era.

Listen to the full episode of the Haunting Or Not Podcast, for free. After listening to the podcast you decide if it was a Real Ghost Story or Fake.