Self-Guided Visit
Visit the Bar
Walk in and order a drink. The upstairs bar area — where Emily is said to roam — is accessible to regular patrons. Staff will often share the history and folklore on request.
- Duration:
- 1.5 hr
Haunted Dining / Bar
The Tavern
Austin's oldest continuously operating bar, opened 1916 as a grocery store, rumored speakeasy upstairs during Prohibition, and home to the ghost named Emily.
922 W 12th St, Austin, TX 78703
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$
Bar and restaurant; no cover charge. Food and drink prices typical of a neighborhood bar.
Access
Limited Access
Two-story historic building; upstairs area where paranormal activity is concentrated involves a staircase.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1916 · Oldest continuously operating bar in Austin · Alleged Prohibition-era speakeasy and brothel · Early Austin air conditioning landmark · German public house architectural style
The building at 922 W 12th Street went up in 1916 as the Enfield Grocery Store, designed by architect Hug Kuehne. Kuehne modeled the facade on the German public houses of the period, giving it a heavy masonry presence that distinguished it from the wood-frame storefronts nearby. The neighborhood was Enfield, then a residential area on the western edge of Austin's streetcar network.
During Prohibition, according to the bar's own account and multiple press sources, the upstairs floor was operating as an illicit bar, casino, and brothel behind the grocery-store front. The arrangement was common enough in Austin's pre-repeal era that the building's split-level layout — commercial downstairs, private rooms above — would have made it practical.
After the 21st Amendment ended Prohibition in 1933, The Tavern opened as a legal bar and has operated continuously since then. An early marketing distinction was its air conditioning, which the neon signage advertised at a time when the feature was a genuine novelty. Shannon Sedwick and Michael Shelton, both connected to the Esther's Follies theater company, purchased the bar in February 2018 to preserve what they considered an irreplaceable Austin institution.
The building is listed in local historical surveys as a contributing structure to the Enfield district and remains virtually unaltered on the exterior.
Sources
- https://www.tavernaustin.com/our-story
- https://www.kut.org/austin/2021-10-21/want-to-see-a-ghost-in-austin-check-out-one-of-these-haunted-spots
- https://frightfind.com/the-tavern/
Phantom taps and pinches on the second floorUnexplained footstepsCold spotsTelevision malfunctionsSound of pool game with no players present
The Tavern's ghost story centers on Emily, who staff and regulars describe as a woman who worked the upstairs during the building's alleged Prohibition-era brothel period and died there under unspecified violent circumstances. The bar does not claim to know her surname or provide a specific date for her death, and no contemporaneous news account has been surfaced to corroborate it. The story is best understood as enduring house folklore layered over the building's documented Prohibition-era reputation.
The most-cited piece of physical evidence is from a 2003 renovation, when workers reportedly found a pair of women's shoes inside the walls of an upstairs crawl space. The bar displays or references the shoes as Emily's, and they have become a focal point of the haunt narrative.
Visitors and staff report a consistent pattern of activity on the second floor: unexplained taps and pinches, phantom footsteps in empty corridors, cold spots, televisions changing channels on their own, and the occasional sound of a pool game being played when no one is present. The bar has leaned into the story commercially — merchandise, murder-mystery dinner events, and features in Austin ghost tour itineraries all reference Emily by name. In 2021, Austin NPR station KUT listed The Tavern among Austin's most notable haunted spots.
Notable Entities
Emily (ghost, attributed to Prohibition-era victim)
Plan Your Visit
1 way to experienceSources & Further Reading
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Tavern family-friendly?
Operating bar; not ideal for young children in the evenings. The ghost story involves a woman described as a murdered sex worker, which parents may want to know in advance. Daytime visits are family-friendly. Overall family fit: Moderate.
How much does it cost to visit The Tavern?
Bar and restaurant; no cover charge. Food and drink prices typical of a neighborhood bar.
Do I need to book in advance?
No advance booking is required, but checking availability is recommended.
Is The Tavern wheelchair accessible?
The Tavern has limited wheelchair accessibility. Terrain: Two-story historic building; upstairs area where paranormal activity is concentrated involves a staircase..