Tales from the Catacombs: The Haunted History of Bube’s Brewery

Beneath the quiet streets of Mount Joy, something stirs. Shadows stretch long, whispers echo off stone walls, and history refuses to rest. This is Bube’s Brewery. It’s part time capsule, part subterranean labyrinth, and entirely unlike anything else in Lancaster County. It’s a place of history, art, beer…and spirits.

Not the kind you think.

It all began in 1869, when a German immigrant named Alois Bube (pronounced boo-bee) arrived in the growing town of Mount Joy. Schooled in the Old World brewing tradition, Bube purchased a modest brewery in 1876. Over the next two decades, he transformed it into an ambitious, state-of-the-art lagering operation. But Bube was more than just a brewer.

He created a compound that featured a sprawling Victorian hotel, ornate beer halls, private dining rooms, and, most famously, the arched stone catacombs carved directly beneath the complex, which were ideal for aging beer. The facility was so ahead of its time that it drew visitors from across the state, eager to marvel at what newspapers called one of Pennsylvania’s finest lagering breweries.

Then came Prohibition.

With the 18th Amendment’s arrival in 1920, the brewery closed, and the buildings began their long descent into disrepair. The once-bustling beer palace grew quiet. The catacombs became an underground warren of echo and shadow.

Decades passed. Ownership changed hands. Rumors grew.

But in 1982, artist, preservationist, and dreamer Sam Allen breathed new life into Bube’s. It became a quirky cultural hub—a mix of performance venue, historic site, and restaurant. The catacombs were transformed into a candlelit dining experience like no other. Yet some said that with the return of life came a stirring of the dead.

Guests and employees alike tell stories. Some feel icy fingers on their necks in the Catacombs when no one is behind them. Others hear the clink of unseen glasses in the Bottling Works. Footsteps echo in empty hallways. Shadows dart at the edge of vision.

A persistent spirit may be Alois Bube himself. A proud, commanding figure, Bube is said to walk his brewery still, checking on staff and surveying his empire. He’s often felt rather than seen with a sudden drop in temperature, the feeling of being watched, or the creak of a stair when the building is supposedly empty.

One employee reported seeing a man in an old-fashioned coat disappear through a locked door.

The Victorian Hotel, part of the original complex, is also a hotspot. Guests have awakened to find their suitcases moved, lights flicked on, or voices whispering in the night. In one infamous case, a woman fled in the middle of the night, convinced something was watching her from the corner of the room.

Unlike many haunted locales, Bube’s embraces its ghosts. The brewery has hosted paranormal investigations, ghost tours, and even candlelit “Dinner with the Dead” events in the Catacombs. Skeptics come for the food. Believers come for the proof.

In fact, the SyFy Channel’s hit series Ghost Hunters devoted an episode to investigating Bube’s Brewery in 2012. Jean Ellis, great-granddaughter of Alois Bube and longtime guide of the brewery’s ghost tours, invited the team to determine whether the spirits people reported were indeed her ancestors.

The investigators set up cameras and audio recorders throughout the complex, including the Alois Barroom and ballroom. What they captured quickly became some of the show’s most memorable evidence:

The Lamp Test. After hearing reports of lamps mysteriously extinguishing, Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson recreated the scene. They placed two oil lamps on a table and asked aloud for a sign. One lamp flickered and went out, while the other burned steadily. No draft, no trickery, the lamp simply went dark.

The German Voice. On their EVP recorders, the team captured what sounded like a voice whispering in German: “Blow it out.” For Ellis, it was deeply personal. Her great-grandfather had been vigilant about open flames ever since a fire devastated the brewery’s third floor in 1893.

Unexplained Crash. A loud bang echoed from the barroom during the investigation. When the team rushed in, they found nothing out of place.

For Ellis, watching the results was an emotional experience. “It was confirmation,” she later said. Evidence that her family’s presence had not left the halls of Bube’s.

The most frequently seen apparition is Pauline Engle, Alois Bube’s granddaughter. Diagnosed with schizophrenia, Pauline lived much of her life secluded in one wing of the Central Hotel. She spent countless hours pacing the same hallways and staircases.

Today, employees and guests alike report seeing a woman in a long white gown wandering the corridors. At least a dozen staff members have described encounters. One longtime waitress recalled seeing the figure vanish at the top of the staircase leading into the Catacombs. Owner Sam Allen had the staff search from both directions immediately. No one was there.

Pauline’s ghost is often described as a “residual haunting”—the imprint of a life lived in isolation, looping endlessly in the place she knew best.

Pauline is not alone. Visitors on ghost tours often describe feeling a gentle, almost familial presence in the second-floor ballroom, which was once the heart of Bube family gatherings. In contrast, others sense a dark, masculine energy in certain parts of the complex, a heavier presence that unsettles even the most skeptical.

Shadowy figures have been reported in the Catacombs, where barrels once aged Alois Bube’s lager. Paranormal investigation groups beyond Ghost Hunters, including the Quest Paranormal Society, have conducted their own studies and recorded unusual results, including strange noises, cold spots, and flickering lights with no apparent source.

One group reported making contact with the spirit of a former brewery worker, allegedly killed during a Prohibition-era raid. Another believes a child’s spirit lingers in the upper floors of the hotel, laughing and running through the halls.

But perhaps the most chilling tale comes from a guest who joined a ghost tour and lingered behind. As she paused in the dim hallway near the hotel’s second floor, she heard a low male voice say clearly, “Get out.” She did.

Today, Bube’s Brewery is a local institution filled with the clink of glasses, the echo of music, and the laughter of guests. But beneath the layers of restoration, artistry, and hospitality lies a deeper truth:

This place remembers.

Every worn step in the catacombs. Every brick in the old fermenting cellars. Every shadow that falls too long. They all whisper the same thing. History is alive here, and it walks alongside you.

Sometimes, it watches from just beyond the candlelight. For a detailed history of Bube’s Brewery, click here.

Read More

Read more stories like this in Uncharted Lancaster’s Ghosts, Monsters, and Tales of Adventure book. This 283-page book is packed with 64 unforgettable stories, all set right here in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Planning Your Visit

Bube’s Brewery is located at 102 North Market Street, Mount Joy, PA 17552, and offers a truly one-of-a-kind experience blending history, dining, art, and paranormal intrigue. Guests can explore the historic catacombs, enjoy craft beers and fine cuisine, or take part in one of their popular ghost tours. For menus, schedules, and upcoming events, visit bubesbrewery.com.

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