HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
A beloved 665-seat German restaurant in historic downtown Sanford, where the Orange County Regional History Center documents the sorrowful spirit of a little girl
205 E 1st St, Sanford, FL 32771
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Full-service German restaurant; see website for menu pricing
Access
Wheelchair OK
Multi-story building with rooftop biergarten; elevator access
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1887 · Downtown Sanford Heritage District · Post-Fire Brick Construction Era · Seminole County Dining History
The Hollerbach family — Theo, Linda, and Christina — opened their restaurant at 205 E 1st Street in Sanford's historic downtown district in 2001 with the goal of providing an authentic German dining and entertainment experience. The location sits in one of the commercial buildings that date to the rebuilding of Sanford following a devastating 1887 fire, which prompted the city to replace timber-frame structures with brick construction across the downtown core.
Over two decades the restaurant grew into a regional institution, drawing visitors from across Central Florida for traditional German food, beer, and live music. The 2020 Hollerblock project expanded the footprint significantly, creating a 665-seat venue that now includes a second-floor rooftop biergarten alongside the original dining space.
The building at 205 E 1st Street sits one address down from the Mayfair Hotel at 201 E 1st Street, in a block that the Orange County Regional History Center has documented as one of the more concentrated haunted corridors in downtown Sanford. US Ghost Adventures includes the Hollerbach's building on their Sanford ghost tour itinerary.
Sources
The Orange County Regional History Center — the primary regional historical authority — has included Hollerbach's German Restaurant in its documented account of haunted locations in downtown Sanford. The entity described is a little girl characterized as somberly roaming the premises. No additional biographical detail or historical event linking a child to the building has been located in public records or investigative reports.
The building's location at 205 E 1st Street places it in a section of downtown Sanford that has accumulated paranormal documentation across multiple independent sources over many years, primarily through the Orange County Regional History Center's written account and the itineraries of organized ghost tours. US Ghost Adventures includes the Hollerbach's address on their Sanford walking tour.
The lore's low narrative specificity — a child figure without a name, cause, or documented incident — reflects the general challenge of tracing paranormal claims at commercial buildings that have cycled through multiple business tenants. The Regional History Center citation nonetheless provides institutional corroboration beyond tour-operator claims alone.
Notable Entities
Hollerbach's occupies a substantial footprint in historic downtown Sanford following the 2020 Hollerblock expansion — 665 seats across the main floor and a second-story rooftop biergarten. Open Monday-Thursday 11am-9pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-10pm. The restaurant is included on Sanford ghost tours that traverse the E 1st Street corridor.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
Sanford, FL
The building at 419 Sanford Ave dates to 1916 and served as a fish market — most notably Stokes' Seafood Market from 1938 to 1992 — as well as a meat business, women's wear store, and campaign office before sitting vacant for stretches. Peter Minelga and Greg Piecora opened Wop's Hops Brewing Company here in October 2014, making it Sanford's first craft brewery.
Jacksonville Beach, FL
The building at 1318 Beach Blvd was constructed in 1950 and served successive commercial tenants — a dress shop, grocery store, and glass shop — before Darlene Edith 'Ginger' Payson opened her bar there in 1976. Payson had worked as a burlesque performer across Jacksonville for decades, with acts including 'Tiza, The Girl in the Goldfish Bowl' and 'The Original Shower Girl.' Three of her sons were killed in a shrimping accident; their bodies washed ashore near the building. Payson operated the bar until her death in 2003.
St. Augustine, FL
The building at 46 Avenida Menendez has been continuously occupied since the Spanish colonial period. An 18th-century resident named Catalina de Porras is associated with the building's earliest documented history. The structure most prominently enters the historical record through an 1887 fire in which a woman died in the kitchen. The building has cycled through restaurant identities including Chart House, Catalina's Garden, and Puerta Verde before operating as Harry's.