Haunting of Highlands Public House

73 years ago, a woman named Helen died by gunshot wound died in her house. She was 34 years old at the time.

The house, located at 1576 Bardstown Road, later became zoned as a commercial building. Now, it’s home to Against the Grain’s public house. Since moving into the building, our staff has had some strange experiences. It was strange enough for manager Luke to inquire about the building’s history and learn about Helen.

Helen’s presence has become so iconic that we’re throwing her a birthday party! Check out the details here: https://atgbrewery.com/news/helens-73rd-34th-birthday/

From pictures flying off walls and footsteps upstairs, Helen encounters have haunted our staff. Sit down and have a beer and ask your bartender for their favorite Helen story, but here are a couple that stand out;

She Thought it was a Prank

You can recognize our bartender Kansas by her bubbly personality and funky earrings. She always has a fun story to tell, and radiates positivity! When telling me her Helen story, I saw a serious side to Kansas I never had before.

“I thought Beam [the cook] was just messing with me,” she said. She would hear footsteps upstairs. When opening alone, she was certain someone else was in the building. She even called out one morning, greeting who she thought was one of the cooks—but nobody was there.

Only after these experiences did she learn the story of Helen!

No Service after Close 

I had one task: to drop off a PA system, but I was procrastinating. It had to be there by the next day, so at 11pm, after the closing staff was out, I finally found time to buzz over. The building was so quiet you could hear the gentle buzzing of electricity in the walls. I began to get the creeps, but new I had to drop off this dang PA system. I remember walking past the bathrooms to go upstairs, and noting how creepy they looked with the doors open at night. Like something might be lurking in the shadows…on my way back downstairs, both bathroom doors were closed.

I never ran out of a building so fast in my life!

Your Story 

We love our regulars over at the Public House, especially those that keep our bartenders company on late nights. If you have any Helen stories yourself, please share below!