HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
A downtown Greensboro Irish pub built in the former Piedmont Hotel — a building that served as a brothel until the 1960s and never fully let go of its dead.
110 W McGee St, Greensboro, NC 27401
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$
Pub pricing for food and drinks. No admission charge.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Ground-floor pub; generally accessible
Equipment
Photos OK
Occupies the former Piedmont Hotel building, reported to have operated as a brothel into the 1960s · Featured on US Ghost Adventures Greensboro ghost tour as a primary downtown dark-history stop · Covered in Greensboro News and Record's 2013 haunted downtown walking tour feature
The building at 110 W McGee Street housed the Piedmont Hotel, a downtown Greensboro property that, according to local tradition documented in regional media, operated at some point as a brothel before closing operations in the 1960s. Specific dates of the Piedmont Hotel's brothel period and documentary confirmation of those operations have not been established in primary sources consulted for this build; the characterization comes from ghost tour literature and the Greensboro News and Record's 2013 coverage of the downtown haunted tour.
The Irish pub M'Coul's Public House eventually took over the ground floor of the building, transforming it into a neighborhood bar and restaurant. The name likely references Finn McCool (Fionn mac Cumhaill), the legendary Irish warrior, in keeping with the pub's Irish theme.
The building sits in the heart of downtown Greensboro's historic commercial corridor, a few blocks from the Biltmore Greensboro Hotel and Blandwood Mansion — collectively part of what regional ghost tour operators have positioned as a haunted downtown circuit. M'Coul's became a featured stop on the US Ghost Adventures Greensboro ghost tour, which has helped consolidate its reputation as a dark-history venue.
No confirmed death records or newspaper contemporaneous accounts verifying the specific deaths mentioned in the pub's paranormal lore were located. The haunting claims are presented as oral tradition and ghost tour legend.
Sources
The ghost lore at M'Coul's centers on figures said to be connected to the building's brothel past. The most active is a spirit known simply as Jack — described in tour literature as a male presence with a fondness for pranks. Jack's reported activities include moved objects, strange sounds, and interactions with staff and patrons. His identity and the circumstances of his connection to the building are not established in any primary source.
Three laughing women are said to haunt the pub, characterized as former brothel workers. Their laughter is reportedly heard after the pub closes, in the empty bar area. No individual identities have been attached to these spirits.
A third figure, Lydia, is said to have been murdered on the premises during the brothel era — a name and story that appear to overlap with the 'Lydia' associated with the Biltmore Greensboro Hotel a few blocks away. Whether these represent the same local legend transferred across venues, or are genuinely distinct figures, is unclear from the sources consulted. Ghost tour literature treats them as separate entities.
One particularly unusual claim in the paranormal literature — that Jack allegedly predicted pregnancies among female staff — is presented here for completeness but is noted as a folk tale rather than a verifiable claim. All paranormal accounts at M'Coul's derive from ghost tour tradition and the Greensboro News and Record's 2013 feature on downtown haunted sites.
Notable Entities
M'Coul's occupies the ground floor of the former Piedmont Hotel, which served as a brothel until the 1960s. The bar is a regular stop on the US Ghost Adventures Greensboro ghost tour and is one of downtown's most atmospheric dark-history venues. No advance booking required.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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