Bube’s Brewery – Haunted Brewery in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania

Bube’s Brewery is one of the last intact 19th-century lager breweries in the United States, and beneath its preserved brick facade in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania sits something far stranger than old beer barrels. Forty-three feet below street level, candlelit stone vaults known as the Catacombs draw diners, ghost hunters, and curious travelers hoping to feel the chill that regulars swear is real. Generations of staff and visitors have reported footsteps in empty halls, cold spots that come and go, and the sense of being watched. What sets Bube’s apart from most haunted stops is that many of the spirits people describe seem to be members of the founding family itself.

Historical Background

Alois Bube was born in Bavaria in 1851 and immigrated to the United States in 1869, carrying an old-world brewing apprenticeship with him. He settled in the small Pennsylvania Dutch town of Mount Joy and, in 1876, purchased the modest brewery that would carry his name for the rest of his life.

By 1889 Bube had expanded the operation dramatically, erecting a larger brewery building along with the Central Hotel next door. To keep his lager cold in the years before refrigeration, workers dug deep stone vaults into the earth beneath the property. Those vaults survive today as the Catacombs, and they are the heart of the site’s reputation.

Bube died in 1908, and his family continued the business until Prohibition closed American breweries for good. Remarkably, Bube’s descendants held onto the property for decades, which is why the brewery, hotel, and Victorian interiors were never gutted or modernized. That continuity is also why the family names attached to its ghost stories are so specific.

• Year Built: Brewery acquired by Alois Bube in 1876; larger brewery and Central Hotel added in 1889
• Original Purpose: Lager beer brewery, hotel, and bottling works
• Key Events: Founded by Bavarian immigrant Alois Bube; deep aging vaults dug beneath the property; Bube died in 1908; Prohibition ended brewing operations; the family preserved the buildings, and the site was restored as a restaurant and entertainment complex

Paranormal Activity Summary

The reports at Bube’s fall into a few consistent categories. Cold spots and sudden temperature drops top the list, especially in the Catacombs and along the hotel staircases. Staff describe the feeling of being watched when no one else is around.

• Sudden temperature drops and lingering cold spots, most often in the underground vaults
• Footsteps, stair creaks, and disembodied voices in supposedly empty rooms
• The apparition of a woman in a long white gown seen drifting through the hotel corridors
• Shadowy figures in the Catacombs and the sensation of being touched or having one’s hair pulled

Ghost Stories & Reports

The spirit most often tied to Bube’s is Alois Bube himself. Regulars describe him as a proud, watchful presence who never really left the empire he built, felt rather than seen through a sudden chill, a creaking stair, or the plain feeling that the founder is checking on his brewery. His presence is reported most strongly around the barroom that now bears his name.

The most frequently seen apparition, however, is said to be Pauline Engle, Alois Bube’s granddaughter. Employees and guests describe a woman in a long white gown wandering the hotel hallways, staircases, and the second-floor ballroom. Staff members over the years have reported encounters with her, and the sightings are often described as gentle and familial rather than frightening.

The Catacombs carry darker stories. One recurring account involves a former brewery worker said to have been killed during a Prohibition-era raid, and some visiting groups claim to have made contact with a male spirit in the vaults. Others describe the apparition of a young woman with long hair, along with the unsettling sense that someone is peeking and hiding among the old barrels.

Guests on tours have reported having their hair pulled or feeling a light touch while standing in the deepest part of the Catacombs. A few describe hearing the faint clink of unseen glasses in the old Bottling Works, as if a shift that ended a century ago is still underway.

Not every report belongs to an adult. Some visitors believe a child’s spirit lingers on the upper floors of the hotel, and they describe the sound of laughter and small feet running through the halls. Overnight hotel guests have told of suitcases that shifted position, lights that switched on by themselves, and whispered voices close to the ear.

Most Haunted Spot Inside

The Catacombs are widely considered the most active area of the entire complex. Reached by a narrow set of stone steps that descend roughly 43 feet, the vaults are dim, cool, and heavy with age, exactly the atmosphere that makes people report icy sensations and shadow movement.

This is where guests most often say they were touched, watched, or followed. Some refuse to go down alone. The hotel’s upper floors and the Alois barroom round out the list of hot spots, but the underground vaults are the destination that gives Bube’s its reputation.

Can You Visit?

• Open to the Public? Yes. Bube’s operates as a working restaurant and entertainment complex
• Entry Fee: Dining is a la carte; ghost tours and special events are ticketed separately and prices vary
• Tour Availability: Guided Catacombs tours and seasonal ghost tours run regularly, with the heaviest schedule in October
• Photography Allowed? Yes, though some events and private tours may set their own rules
• Visiting Hours: Open most days, with hours that shift by season, restaurant, and event. Check the official schedule before you go

Best Time to Visit

Autumn is the standout season at Bube’s, and October in particular. That is when ghost tours run most often, when the Catacombs feel their eeriest, and when the brewery leans fully into its haunted history with themed dinners and events.

If you prefer smaller crowds, a weeknight dinner in the Catacombs during the off-season still delivers the cool, candlelit atmosphere without the Halloween rush. Weekends fill quickly year-round, so reservations are wise no matter the month.

Paranormal Investigations & Findings

Bube’s earned national attention when SyFy’s Ghost Hunters investigated the property in 2012 for an episode centered on the founding family. Jean Ellis, a great-granddaughter of Alois Bube and a longtime guide of the brewery’s ghost tours, invited the team specifically to test whether the spirits people reported might be her own ancestors.

The crew spent several days at Bube’s, interviewing the owners and Ellis before setting up cameras and audio equipment for overnight sessions. Among the moments they highlighted were an oil lamp that reportedly went out on its own while a second lamp kept burning, an unexplained crash in the barroom, and an audio recording said to capture a German-language phrase in the vaults.

Independent groups such as the Quest Paranormal Society have also investigated the site and reported unusual results. As with any location like this, the recordings and personal experiences are compelling to believers and unproven to skeptics, but they have cemented Bube’s as one of the most talked-about haunted destinations in the region.

Planning Your Visit

Mount Joy sits in the heart of Lancaster County, which makes Bube’s an easy addition to a wider Pennsylvania ghost-hunting road trip. If you are mapping a route, our guide to the most haunted places in Pennsylvania pairs well with a stop here, and you can browse nearby stops through the full Pennsylvania haunted places directory.

Book a Catacombs or ghost tour in advance, since the popular fall dates sell out. Wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes for the uneven stone steps, and bring a light jacket because the vaults stay cool even in summer. If you plan to document your visit, a review of our ghost hunting equipment guide will help you choose the right recorder, camera, and detector before you head underground.

Safety Warnings & Legal Restrictions

Guests are not permitted to wander the Catacombs unsupervised. The vaults are reached by tight, uneven stone steps, and the low light and cool damp make footing tricky, so access is limited to guided tours and seated dining.

Bube’s is private property and a working business, not an abandoned site, so trespassing or after-hours exploration is off limits. Follow posted signs about steps and slippery floors, keep children supervised, and respect staff instructions during tours and investigations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is said to haunt Bube’s Brewery?

The two spirits reported most often are founder Alois Bube, felt throughout the complex and especially near the Alois barroom, and his granddaughter Pauline Engle, described as a woman in a long white gown seen in the hotel corridors. Visitors also report a Prohibition-era worker and a child spirit on the upper floors.

Has Bube’s Brewery been on television?

Yes. SyFy’s Ghost Hunters investigated the brewery in 2012 in an episode focused on the founding family, at the invitation of Bube descendant and tour guide Jean Ellis. Independent groups like the Quest Paranormal Society have investigated as well.

Can I actually eat in the Catacombs?

Yes. The 43-foot-deep aging vaults now serve as a candlelit dining room, and the brewery also hosts themed feast dinners and ghost tours. Reservations are strongly recommended, particularly on weekends and throughout October.

Is Bube’s Brewery worth visiting if I am skeptical of ghosts?

Absolutely. Even setting the hauntings aside, Bube’s is a rare intact 19th-century lager brewery and one of the best-preserved examples of its kind in the country, so the history and architecture alone make the trip worthwhile.