Although renewed as an art district in downtown Memphis, the buildings on South Main like Earnestine & Hazel’s Bar hold old history within its walls as well as hauntings of their ghosts.
Today the Earnestine & Hazel’s Haunted Bar in Memphis is not only remembered for its classic jukebox or the well known Soul Burgers, but also as one of America’s most haunted places.
The place is named after the two sisters who did the building that was used as a pharmacy to a cafe, and has been used as this since then. The building itself was first built in the 1800s and used as a church, but ended up being a place far from the pious church it was designed as.
Frequented by Famous Musicians
The sound of the piano playing upstairs with soul, jazz and blues and many well known artists have walked through the doors to this bar. Artists like Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Chuck Berry and Tina Turner held performances at Club Paradise, a music club just by. After their performances, they would come in for some food and a good time after their performances in the area.
It was reopened in 1993 by a man named Russel George who is credited for making the place as it is today. He ended up taking his life upstairs. The place where most of the hauntings are rumored to take place.
The Haunted Piano Upstairs
The pianos upstairs have not only been played by well known artists, but have allegedly also played when the bars were emptied and no one was there. Who could be playing the piano, well after closing time?
There are also rumors from those who have worked there that if you are working late when the music is turned off and the guests have left, there are said to still be some left that sounds like they are wandering upstairs.
Murdered Prostitutes Haunting the Place?
The upstairs area was also used as a brothel for some things, and a lot of the haunted rumours has to do with the prostitutes working there. There are also stories of artists like Ray Charles doing heroin and hang out with the prostitutes, but also more sinister rumors, although unconfirmed.
These prostitutes are also the ones rumoured to be behind most of the haunting. It is been said, although not confirmed that some of the prostitute even was killed in the upstairs rooms, and according to people working there, the hauntings feels eerily feminine.
Self Playing Jukebox
There are many instances the workers there have told about strange stuff happening. As Karen relayed in a post on Vice from 2017, she also pointed out the jukebox that will start playing random songs out of nowhere. Or perhaps not as random as one would think.
According to her, she was once talking about James Brown on the day he died, and the jukebox suddenly started to play his hit I Feel Good. According to the same employee, the jukebox also started playing Rolling Stones Sympathy for the Devil once when a paranormal investigator was talking about exorcism with the previous owner, Russel.
So, would you go and have a burger at the most haunted bar in Memphis?
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References
History — Earnestine & Hazel’s
What It’s Like to Work at the Most Haunted Bar in America
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