HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
1888 Covington City Hall site turned Irish pub where self-operating elevators and unseen presences unsettle staff
112 W 4th Street, Covington, KY 41011
Research updated June 2026
Age
21+
Cost
$$
Bar and food pricing; no cover charge typically
Access
Wheelchair OK
Ground floor bar area accessible; upper floors via elevator
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1888 · Served as temporary Covington City Hall · Site of documented murder trial · Site of fatal domestic shooting
The building now occupied by Molly Malone's Irish Pub was constructed in 1888 as the Hermes Building, a commercial structure that entered civic life when Covington used it as temporary city hall. Local journalism documents that the building was the site of a murder trial of some notoriety during its civic tenure, anchoring its dark history to a specific legal proceeding rather than rumor.
A subsequent fatal domestic shooting occurred in the building at a later date, adding a second layer of violent history. The NKY Tribune documented both incidents in a 2024 piece tracing the building's history from its civic period through its life as Jack Quinn's Irish Pub and into its current incarnation as Molly Malone's.
The building passed through several ownership phases before becoming an Irish pub. The elevator — a notable feature of the historic structure — has become central to the paranormal accounts, operating on its own without apparent cause. Staff have also reported lights toggling independently and charges appearing on bar tabs at tables known to be unoccupied and closed.
Sources
The elevator in the Hermes Building has become the most-cited paranormal feature of Molly Malone's. Staff accounts describe it operating — doors opening, car moving between floors — without anyone pressing controls. The phenomenon is consistent enough that it features in multiple independent journalistic accounts over a span of years.
Lights in the building toggle on and off without apparent electrical cause, and servers have reported charges appearing on bar tabs at tables that were closed and known to be empty. The sense of being followed by an unseen presence is a recurring theme in staff testimony, distinguishing this from a single dramatic encounter and placing it in the category of persistent environmental phenomena.
The building's history provides two candidates for a haunting presence without requiring speculation: the victim of the murder trial and the victim of the later domestic homicide. Tour guides typically present both historical events as context without assigning the paranormal activity to a specific individual.
The Irish pub occupies the historic Hermes Building at 112 W 4th Street. Staff and regulars familiar with the building's history can point out the elevator and areas where unexplained activity has been reported.
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