By Tim Binnall
A legendary Kentucky venue dubbed the most haunted nightclub in America is no more as Bobby Mackey's Music World has been demolished. A fixture of paranormal television programs and a destination for ghost investigative groups for the last several decades, the beloved honky-tonk located in the community of Wilder opened for business in 1978, though the building had a rich history dating back to the 1930s. Long the subject of spooky urban legends, the nightclub's haunted reputation bloomed after caretaker Carl Lawson reportedly unearthed a journal detailing the site's dark past and paranormal activity soon followed.
When ghost hunting exploded in popularity at the turn of the century, Bobby Mackey's became a preeminent destination for those seeking spirits of the otherworldly variety. The nightclub was featured on an array of television programs including Ghost Hunters, Paranormal Lockdown, and Most Terrifying Places in America. The venue also hosted regular tours for thrill seekers and paranormal groups that conducted their own investigations at the site. However, much like the spirits said to inhabit the location, the building itself is no longer among the living as Bobby Mackey's was torn down earlier this month with plans for a new version of the site to be built for an envisioned 2026 opening.
Looking back on her experiences conducting tours at the legendary site, paranormal researcher Laura Roland recalled that "pretty much everything has happened here at Mackey's," including sightings of full-bodied apparitions, shadow people, and disembodied voices both heard and recorded. While the loss of the location is undoubtedly dispiriting to the ghost hunting community, the demolition and planned rebuild of the bar offers something of a unique opportunity as many wonder if the spirits will still be at the site when it reopens or if they will have vanished with the old venue. What do you think will become of the ghosts once said to haunt the honky-tonk? Weigh in with your paranormal theory at the C2C Facebook page.