The Horse You Came In On Saloon

You may remember “The Tell-Tale Heart” from high school, a story about the gruesome murder of a defenseless old man. In case you don’t remember, the depraved killer dismembers his victim’s body and hides the torn pieces under the floorboards, convinced no one will ever find the evidence.

What if you could meet the mastermind behind that story? Well, if you come to the Horse You Came in On Saloon in Baltimore, Maryland, you just might! The bar has been in business for over 200 years, and it is famously known as the last place where author Edgar Allen Poe stopped before mysteriously dying. 

Legend has it his ghost still stops by for a drink from time to time. 

Looking to experience the spirits of Baltimore for yourself? Join us for a hauntingly fun and historically accurate Baltimore ghost tour!

Ghosts of the DMV

The DMV is full of ghosts –– and no, we’re not talking about the place where you get your driver’s license. Don’t get us wrong: that place is also scary enough, even when the person behind the counter is nice enough not to yell at you when you forget your birth certificate at home. But what we mean by DMV is the Washington, Maryland, Virginia area. Let us tell you about a few other spots you can check out if you’re in town visiting the Horse You Came in On Saloon.

One place you definitely have to check out is the Old Stone House in DC, where George Washington used to spend a lot of time. Nobody knows why exactly, but the house is full of all kinds of ghosts. There is a woman who hangs out in the rocking chair on the third floor, for example, as well as a man with long hair and a blue jacket. Even worse, people report hearing growls and other weird sound.

Then, there is Belle Island in nearby Virginia. When the Civil War broke out, the Confederate Army seized the island and turned it into a camp for Union troops held hostage as prisoners of war. Decades later, long after the war, a hydroelectric power plant was built and eventually abandoned –– but not without leaving sinister energy. 

It is estimated that at least 1,000 Union soldiers perished at the camp and that many of their ghosts continue to haunt the property. People report hearing disembodied footsteps following them as well as seeing shadowy figures appear and disappear. If you’re a history freak, the DMV is the place to visit.

A Timeless Bar

The Horse You Came in On has been around for literally longer than the United States of America has existed. It was established in 1775 and has been in business since then, somehow managing to survive before, during, and after prohibition. Could spirits be watching over the place, keeping it from going bankrupt? Who knows. The one thing we know for sure is that this is one of the liveliest spots in Baltimore –– though not all who visit are necessarily alive.  

The saloon hasn’t always gone by the same name. Back in its early days, for example, the place was known simply as “The Horse.” It is located in the neighborhood of Fell Point, a part of Baltimore that grew wealthy from the flow of tobacco, flour, and coffee during the 18th and 19th centuries. 

It is widely known that many people died in these trade routes during the colonial era, not least of which were the slaves who were being brought into the colonies and later the independent nation. With that history in mind, I think you can understand why a place such as the Horse You Came in On might be haunted.

But the Horse You Came in On is more than just a haunted location. It is not an exaggeration to say that the Saloon is very much a centerpiece of Baltimore. After all, the neighborhood where the Saloon sits was partitioned by Edward Fell and incorporated in 1797 to form the city of Baltimore. It is no wonder that Edgar Allen Poe would visit such a historic place or that he would make this legendary water hole one of his favorite spots in the city.

Getting Rowdy at the Saloon

The Horse You Came in On is definitely known for its lively energy. An infused Jack Daniel’s on the rocks is one of the most popular drinks here, and you can choose from apple, honey, lemon, vanilla, maple, and Tennessee Fire flavors. It’s not just the crowd who gets lively, however. Or, better put, the crowd consists of more than just your regular bar-goers. Many patrons have reported seeing weird orbs floating around the bar at night that they believe to be dead spirits. And that is only scratching the surface.

All kinds of otherworldly activity goes down at the Horse You Came in On. For example, many people have seen the cash register just fly open out of nowhere. They have also seen chandeliers swing wildly, even when there are no strong winds –– but don’t worry, they never fall on peoples’ heads. There is one main culprit behind all these wacky things, and his name rhymes with “crow.”

The famous writer and poet Edgar Allen Poe was a regular at the Horse You Came in On. According to the story, Poe spent his last night as a free man at the Saloon, drinking himself away, and was later found delirious on some nearby street. 

He was then taken to Washington Medical Hospital, where the man died four days later. Employees at the Saloon believe Poe’s ghost returns regularly and is to blame for the swinging chandeliers and almost everything else that happens in that place. To keep their most famous customer happy, they sometimes leave a glass of whiskey for him after closing time. 

Poe’s spirit seems pretty easygoing, but for all we know, he has been burying bodies under the Saloon’s floorboards all these years.

Haunted Baltimore

How many bars out there can say they’ve been around longer than their freakin’ country? That’s the Horse You Came in On for you –– servicing Baltimore’s thirsty crowds since 1775, one year before the United States was officially born. And there is even more that makes the place special. The ghost of Edgar Allan Poe is said to haunt the establishment and drink glasses of whiskey left out for him. Over 200 years of business and a celebrity ghost in residence…it really doesn’t get any better than that! 

For more creepy tales of Baltimore’s most haunted locations, visit our blog and be sure to follow U.S. Ghost Adventures on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. And don’t forget to book your ghost tour of Baltimore with US Ghost Adventures!

Sources:

https://dcghosts.com/the-old-stone-house-d-c-s-oldest-haunted-house/

https://rvaghosts.com/the-haunted-history-of-belle-isle/

https://www.thehorsebaltimore.com/story

https://savingplaces.org/stories/historic-bars-baltimores-the-horse-you-came-in-on-saloon#.YkoXKS-B2v4

https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2019/10/21/the-horse-you-came-in-on-saloon-named-most-haunted-restaurant-in-maryland/