The Haunted Harmony Inn

Posted: 07.03.2025 | Updated: 07.03.2025

Located 30 miles outside of Pittsburgh in Harmony, PA, the Harmony Inn has been serving drinks and haunts for over a century. Although the current owner did not initially believe the ghost stories he’d heard about the Harmony Inn, he quickly became a believer. Staff and patrons have also experienced supernatural phenomena that convinced them that the Harmony Inn is a thoroughly haunted building.

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Who Haunts the Harmony Inn?

Multiple spirits are reported to haunt the historic Harmony Inn. Male apparitions known as Barney and Louie have been felt by multiple witnesses over the years. There’s also a child ghost that’s likely the spirit of someone who died on the property. In the attic, the spirit of an old woman allegedly buried in the walls has been sensed. 

The one thing these spirits have in common is that they seem to be benevolent. Maybe a little mischievous, but harmless on the whole. Perhaps that’s why staff continue and patrons keep coming back to the Harmony Inn, where friendly spirits in all forms are there to greet them.

History of the Harmony Inn

One of the things that makes Harmony, PA, unique is that the entire town is a National Historic District. Founded in 1804 by the Harmony Society of German Lutheran Separatists, the area was later populated by Mennonites. 

In 1856, a wealthy railroad executive and banker named Austin Pearce built the Harmony Inn as his private residence. The building is a large Italianate mansion made of red brick and filled with black walnut and chestnut woodwork. 

However, despite Pearce’s massive wealth, he lost most of his fortune when his railroad folded after the Civil War. Pearce was forced to sell the mansion to the Ziegler family, who transformed the home into a saloon and hotel. Ever since, the Harmony Inn has had a reputation as a popular local watering hole.

In 1985, the building was purchased by Gary Bones and Carl Beers. Together, they turned the Harmony Inn into the first craft beer bar in Butler County. 

Among the patrons who enjoyed brews from their 23 taps was a man named Bob McCafferty. In 2013, McCafferty would buy the brewery from Bones and Beers and expand it to 50 taps. McCafferty also owns the nearby North County Brewing Company, which is housed in a former coffin-making building.

Hauntings At The Harmony Inn

Over the years, staff and patrons have experienced a wide array of unexplainable events at the Harmony Inn. Objects are known to move on their own or fall off shelves for no reason. 

There are also mysterious cold spots and electrical malfunctions with no apparent cause. Morning staff have come into the building and discovered that furniture has been rearranged during the night. Security footage has captured shadow figures as well as the apparition of a woman walking through a window that was a door at the turn of the century.

Fortunately, staff say they usually feel surrounded by a warm, loving presence most of the time.

Resident Ghosts

There are at least four known spirits at the Harmony Inn:

• Barney
• Louie
• A little girl
• An older woman 

One of the resident ghosts is a spirit named Barney, who fell down the stairs and broke his neck decades ago at the inn. Since then, his ghost has been blamed for mischievous activity throughout the brewery.

An old woman who used to live at the Harmony Inn felt the presence of “Louie” as soon as she walked in the door. She explained to staff that the building had been haunted when she lived there, and that her family blamed the hauntings on a ghost named Louie, who apparently still haunts the inn. 

Staff and patrons alike have seen the ghost of a little girl in a white dress limping around the inn. Historical records indicate that a little girl did live there in the early 1900s and died in the building. 

There’s even a rumor that the skeleton of a little girl was found in the backyard of the Harmony Inn. Psychics investigating the inn also sensed the little girl’s presence and that she continues to haunt the place where she died.

The unfinished attic of the Harmony Inn is known as Grandma’s Room. Legend states that an old woman taking care of children with tuberculosis at the inn came down with the illness herself. 

She died and was buried in the attic wall to prevent the spread of tuberculosis, which was largely misunderstood at the time. Paranormal investigators have allegedly made contact with the old woman’s spirit and confirmed that her body is still in the wall.

Skeptics Turned Believers

When Bob McCafferty purchased the Harmony Inn in 2013, he didn’t believe the ghost stories and assumed they had been made up by the previous owners. He quickly changed his tune when he saw glasses levitating at the bar. 

Soon after, coins would fly through the air and hit him in the head. In more chilling instances, McCafferty felt a cold finger run up his spine and witnessed a shimmering apparition in the basement. 

While spending the night at the bar, McCafferty was awakened by pots and pans being moved around in the kitchen as well as music blaring. He thought staff had come in early but found no one living in the building.

A bartender named Jason was also skeptical of the hauntings. However, he also felt a cold hand brush the back of his neck and witnessed an apparition in the bar area. A fellow employee said that Jason went completely white and never questioned the presence of ghosts in the bar again.

During a paranormal investigation, a spirit was recorded saying, “Where’s Jason?” and “Bring him back.” This spirit also confirmed that they were the one to touch Jason and appear before him. 

Haunted Pittsburgh

The Harmony Inn is proud of its haunted reputation and welcomes all to enjoy a beer amongst the building’s other spirits. You can even see an old photo that shows the phantom figure of a man staring out of the bar mirror. You might even run into one of the ghosts yourself.

Heading to Pittsburgh soon? Don’t forget to book a ghost tour with Pittsburgh Ghosts to learn all about the city’s haunted history!  Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and keep reading our blog for more real Pennsylvania hauntings.

Sources:

• https://hauntedhouses.com/pennsylvania/harmony-inn/

• https://www.verylocal.com/harmony-inn-north-country-brewing-haunted/20203/

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdKDokh62Fs&t=1s