HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
An 1872 Merchants National Bank building on Massachusetts Street where staff and diners report a persistent presence at the foot of the stairs
746 Massachusetts St, Lawrence, KS 66044
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Standard restaurant and bar pricing; no admission fee
Access
Wheelchair OK
Downtown commercial block; level entry from Massachusetts St
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1872 · Merchants National Bank 1872 · Post-Civil War Lawrence Commercial History · Massachusetts Street Historic District
Massachusetts Street is Lawrence's primary commercial corridor, lined with 19th-century brick buildings that largely escaped the destruction of Quantrill's 1863 raid because the raid concentrated on residential blocks to the west. The structure at 746 Massachusetts dates to 1872, constructed to house Merchants National Bank during the town's post-war rebuilding era.
The building's banking history placed it at the center of Lawrence's commercial life in the Gilded Age. The street-level banking floor with its original staircase configuration has survived through multiple commercial tenants. The property now operates as Merchants Pub & Plate, a restaurant and bar that draws on the building's historical character as part of its identity.
The Explore Lawrence tourism bureau includes the address on its list of documented haunted and supernatural sites in the city. The building's position near the Eldridge Hotel and other downtown Lawrence landmarks makes it a natural stop on informal ghost walks of the Massachusetts Street corridor.
Sources
The haunting at Merchants Pub & Plate centers on the building's staircase. Multiple staff members and diners have described feeling an uncomfortable, watching presence when near or passing the stairs. Some accounts go further, describing a visible apparition on the steps.
The Explore Lawrence tourism bureau, which aggregates verified supernatural accounts from Lawrence venues, lists the restaurant with the characterization that people have 'reported feeling an eerie presence' on the staircase, with some claiming to see 'an apparition on the steps.' The Kansas Haunted Houses directory corroborates the staircase location as the primary focus of activity.
No specific identity has been assigned to the apparition — unlike the more narrative-rich Virginia of the Sigma Nu mansion a few blocks away. The staircase location is consistent across independent reports, which lends some specificity to an otherwise sparse legend. The building's 1872 construction predates reliable death records for the property, leaving the origin of the phenomena undocumented.
Eat and drink in the former Merchants National Bank, constructed in 1872 and one of the older surviving commercial structures on Massachusetts Street. The staircase where apparitions are most frequently reported is visible from the main dining area.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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