HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
Arizona's longest continuously operating bar, in Bisbee's Brewery Gulch since 1902
36 Brewery Avenue, Bisbee, AZ 85603
Research updated August 2026
Age
21+
Cost
$
No cover; bar prices. Free to walk in.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Ground-floor historic bar on Brewery Avenue; upper floors (former brothel) not open to the public
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1902 · Longest Continuously Operating Bar in Arizona · Brewery Gulch Saloon District · Bisbee Copper Mining Era
St. Elmo Bar sits on Brewery Avenue in Brewery Gulch, the narrow canyon that was the saloon and red-light district of Bisbee during its copper-mining heyday. Local histories count as many as 47 saloons in the Gulch at its peak. St. Elmo opened in 1902 and is generally cited as the longest continuously operating bar in Arizona.
The bar made it through Prohibition by shifting trades for a time, and it outlasted the mines that built the town. The building's upper floors were once part of a bordello known as the Blair House, a layer of history the current owners still point to. The ground-floor bar keeps its original wooden bar top, old neon and memorabilia, a pool table, and a jukebox, and it remains a live-music and neighborhood gathering spot.
The bar's longevity has earned it regional and national attention, including a spot on a national list of notable dive bars and coverage in the Tucson newspaper's history features. Its place in Brewery Gulch makes it a fixture of Bisbee's mining-town story and a standard stop on the town's ghost walks.
Sources
The bar's haunted reputation is volunteered by its longtime owners, who have told reporters and tour operators that St. Elmo has resident ghosts. The recurring figures are a sorrowful 'lady of the night,' tied to the Gulch's red-light past, and one or more mischievous spirits blamed for bottles and objects that move on their own.
The most-repeated single detail is the jukebox: staff and visitors say it has turned on when unplugged, a story often attributed to a miner's ghost. Other accounts describe spectral figures seen wiping down the bar and laughter or dancing heard from the upper floor, the closed-off former Blair House brothel above the ground-floor bar.
St. Elmo is a standard stop on Bisbee's ghost-walking tours, and its stories appear in regional ghost roundups and the town's tourism material. The owners have generally treated the haunting with humor, noting the spirits are harmless, while letting a 120-year-old building in a former saloon district carry the weight of the lore.
Notable Entities
Walk into Arizona's longest continuously operating bar, open daily. The well-worn wooden bar, vintage signage, and a jukebox are the centerpiece. The bar sits in the heart of Brewery Gulch, the former saloon district, and is a regular stop on Bisbee's haunted walking tours.
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