Former Maroons Bar & Grill -
Pottsville 1855 - 2021
What happens when a building ghosts are said to reside within is razed?
Often, Haunted Anthracite Tales inform readers of hauntings in locations that have significantly changed over time or no longer are even standing. It may frustrate some readers who enjoy visiting these locations, but more times than not, the razing makes sense.
Dilapidation is often the main cause of these structures coming down.
It seems the obvious question most often asked by the curious is:
Do ghosts even exist?
Pretty valid question, especially if you stopped to read this post.
Instead, for today’s post, let us view the topic in a different fashion. Let us presume ghosts indeed do exist. Now the question shifts to:
What happens to ghosts when a location they reside within is no more?
The location featured today was long noted to have both residual, non-interactive activity, and active, ability to interact with the living, entities witnessed within.
A recently razed structure had been a fixture in the city of Pottsville since the mid-1850s. Once standing at 556 North Centre St., this large brick edifice was home to many businesses since 1855. From a feed distribution locale to a store for obtaining antique needs, the location had its share of establishments and ups and downs throughout its history.
Over time, the building witnessed the growth of Pottsville and enjoyed the city’s apex period. A beautifully painted historical advertisement decorated the Southside of the grandiose building and was a fond reminder of years past. It was a historical fixture that gave city dwellers almost reassurance.
In 2003, the location was rebranded into what most locals know it as - a bar and eating establishment showcasing the accomplishments of the Anthracite Region’s most celebrated team - the 1925 Pottsville Maroons. The location took on the fitting moniker: Maroons Bar & Grill.
Within, memorabilia and good times warmed the newest watering hole. A photo of the heroic 1925 team adorned the outside and invited visitors to pull up a stool and enjoy a hometown Yuengling draft.
The bar & grill fluctuated between being open and closed for over a decade. A closed sign was eventually replaced with a for sale sign in 2015. Sadly, the establishment would not open its doors to the public again.
Handed down orally and in print, the location was a well-known hotspot of paranormal activity. An interesting tidbit was there were both noted residual and active haunts within the large brick building.
Claims of two female apparitions were sighted strolling through the establishment. The elegant women appeared dressed in Victorian garb from the late 1800s. These ghostly entities seemed to go about their business with no recognition of the living.
At the same token, claims of active specters heard, felt and seen have been experienced more frequently inside the building. Phantom footsteps heard throughout, knocking sounds coming out of thin air, dragging sounds in a vacant basement, feelings as if a bar patron pulled up a stool next to you, although no one was there, and even missing personal items and moved bar supplies have been attributed to these spirits.
A paranormal team was invited to see what conclusions could be made. The group investigated and, sure enough; they vouched that the location had paranormal activity within.
I can not say the structure should or should have not been razed. I do not know any specifics of the structure's stability. As a local historian and researcher/collector/enthusiast of haunted tales, obviously it pained me witnessing the structure coming to its end. I am fairly confident I was not alone feeling some level of anguish. That being said, my opinion on whether the building needed to come down is uneducated and not relevant. However, I am keenly aware of who or what was claimed to lurk within.
The question that struck me while watching the structure being disassembled was: What happens to the ghostly residents that once called the building their haunted home?
There have been many occurrences in the coal region area in which spirits stay in a location even after a structure has been torn down. I have researched and even investigated many cases in which ghosts are believed to have relocated because a building or dwelling was taken down . These locations often were close to the original haunted spot.
Now, please keep in mind, I am in no way saying individuals living near the location of the former Maroons Bar & Grille should be on the look-out for ghosts searching for a new home. However, tales of wandering ghosts are not unheard of in the paranormal world.
There are theories galore that attempt to answer our question. From staying connected or confined to the location, to crossing over to the other side, to relocating or attaching to an object or even a living person. There is no clear-cut answer. There also is most likely varying answers depending on circumstances. With Maroons Bar & Grill, I am unaware of deaths or tragedies within the structure or at the location. Ultimately, the presence of ghosts could have very well been a choice...granted if a choice is even an option.
That being said, I am certain the next time my journey causes me to travel past the old Maroons Bar & Grill location, I will surely take a prolonged glance. If I see a woman in stately Victorian dress walking where the building once stood, I may just have the answer. I suggest if you fancy the experience; you do the same and keep those eyes open. 💀
Charles J. Adams,
Berks and Schuylkill Counties Ghost Stories
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