Baltimore’s Spooky Secrets: A Walk Through Haunted Baltimore

Baltimore is well-known for its delicious seafood, especially the world-famous Maryland blue crabs. From crab cakes to steamed crabs, crab shacks across Baltimore’s Inner Harbor are often packed with tourists who flock there to try Baltimore’s seafood cuisine. 

However, there’s more to Baltimore than just its seafood, jazz history, and waterside views. When night falls, Baltimore ghost tours take tourists and locals alike to hidden gems in the city, where a haunted, sinister, and spooky side of haunted Baltimore comes to light. 

The Horse You Came In On Saloon 

The Horse You Came In On Saloon is the oldest operating bar in Maryland. It survived Prohibition and is still serving alcohol and entertaining its guests with live music. The predecessor to The Horse, Al and Ann’s, opened in 1775—before America gained independence. 

It’s also known for another reason – it’s the last place Edgar Allan Poe was seen before his death. The famous poet died under mysterious circumstances, with theories regarding his cause of death ranging from syphilis to alcohol poisoning to being killed as part of a voter fraud scheme. Staff at The Horse put out a cup of cognac for Poe, whose ghost is said to visit on occasion. 

Admiral Fell Inn

The Admiral Fell Inn is another historic building in haunted Baltimore, but its lore starts more recently, in the 1990s, when Gary Mick killed a visiting pharmacist, Christopher Jones. Mick, a raging homophobic character, suspected Jones of being gay. 

Unfortunately, Mick was not immediately caught. Authorities only made the connection in a subsequent case when Mick once again tried to murder someone he suspected was gay. This time, he was unsuccessful and was captured and jailed. Room 413, where the murder took place, is said to be haunted, with unknown spirits making clicking noises at night and rummaging through guests’ belongings. 

Rye

Rye was opened in 2011, but for many years before that, it was known as The Whistling Oyster. In hushed tones, patrons would whisper of the ghosts and ghouls that infested the place. A former DJ recounted how he would hear footsteps and muffled sounds after dark. Once, while he and the bartender were alone in the bar after opening hours, taking a drink, they witnessed pint glasses being thrown from the shelves, one by one. 

In 2010, The Whistling Oyster was sold to new owners, who opened up the green cilantro in the place. They didn’t last long because that year, the phantoms decided to be quite active. She sold the place within a year, and in 2011, it was reopened as Rye. 

Max’s Taphouse

Another haunted watering hole from times gone by is Max’s Taphouse, where old-time sailors and soldiers return from the dead to enjoy some spirits. Some patrons have reported seeing a bored sailor from a bygone era float through the walls and casually play with the beer bottles at the counter. Meanwhile, a woman dressed in white constantly causes trouble on the third floor, making strange noises and singing in the bathroom.