Shaking Things Up

Shaker’s Cigar Bar in downtown Milwaukee is known for 3 things: cigars, booze, and ghosts.

From the street, the building looks unassuming. While it has some old-world charm that reminds locals of the Milwaukee Public Museum’s exhibit “The Streets of Old Milwaukee”, nothing from the outside screams haunted. Maybe someone with a true crime imagination could draw on similarities to H. H. Holmes’ Murder Castle, but otherwise, Shaker’s doesn’t draw much attention to itself.

Located in Walker’s Point neighborhood, Shaker’s Cigar Bar has an unusual and perhaps sordid history.

The Twisted History

The building was erected in 1894 on top of what was once a cemetery. The building was designed to be a Schlitz Brewery cooperage house, but it was turned into a distribution center in 1905. There doesn’t appear to be any stories of the building being haunted during this time period, but that doesn’t mean that it didn’t have a reason to be later.

In 1922, the building was purchased by the Capone crime syndicate and was run by the two famous mobster brothers, Al and Frank Capone. The legal business was supposedly “The ABC Soda Company.” The back room on the first floor was a speakeasy, and the second and third floors served as a brothel. While the speakeasy disappeared with the end of prohibition, the brothel remained open until 1946.

There seems to be a large gap in the building’s history after this point. It cycled through several hands as a bar, but nothing remarkable seems to have transpired in the 40-year period before it was purchased by Bob Weiss in 1986. There were murmurings of hauntings already at this point when Weiss transformed it into Milwaukee’s only licensed cigar bar. Weiss remodeled the building to feel like a 1930s bar with a warm but electric feel.

Unfortunately, the tumultuous history doesn’t end there. Infamous serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer occasionally would visit the bar for a smoke and drink in the 90s. While the establishment doesn’t tout this bit of Milwaukee trivia, it only adds to the growing infamy of the establishment.

Human Remains

At Shaker’s walls DO talk – and the tales they tell aren’t always pretty. Mobsters aren’t known for their forgiving nature, which is why some of the hauntings are reported to have started…

During remodeling in 2001, construction workers found a female skeleton in the wall of the third-floor penthouse. The charred bones were later identified by the medical examiner to have come from a female, aged around 20, who died some 70 years ago. Although not confirmed, they are believed to belong to Molly Brennan.

Molly Brennan was a 16-year-old Irish girl who worked as a prostitute in the 1920’s. It is unclear what exactly happened to her but what is known is that she was murdered and her remains burned in the hotel to avoid detection by the mobsters downstairs. She could have been killed by a jealous client, who may have wound up in Lake Michigan with cement shoes, or perhaps Molly may have offended a mobster. Whatever may have happened, the mystery of what happened to Molly Brennan’s remains is now solved. Her ghost is supposed to haunt the penthouse.

There are other mob deaths are suspected to have occurred during this time. Chillingly, there is a 7-foot by 3-foot rectangle in the foundation of the building that most assume is the final resting place for two of these murder victims. Weiss had someone come in with ground-penetrating radar to view the discrepancies under the concrete.

“He came across two full sets of human remains sort of huddled up next to each other. They reported this to MPD, who said because they were so old, and they didn’t match with any open cases, they didn’t have to dig them up unless Bob really wanted them to. So they decided to let them be, and those remains are still under the concrete in that corner to this day” one news article stated.

Today, there are two plastic skeletons lying on top of the spot where the bodies are down below, marking the spot. I have a hard time believing that MPD and the medical examiner would allow human remains to rest undisturbed in the foundation of the building, but I am also not one to judge a good story.

Haunted?

With such a rich and creepy history, it is easy to imagine why the building would feel a little eerie on the inside. Instead of shying away from its haunted reputation, Shaker’s embrace it. The building is lit up purple, with ghosts in the windows and on top of the roof at night.

They willingly open stories about hearing voices, doors shaking, and seeing specters wandering the halls. They offer tours for guests who want to learn more about the paranormal history of the building. Hangman Tours also works with Shaker’s to provide a more gritty and in-depth tour.

If you are feeling very brave, you can even spend the night by checking out their Airbnb listing (although from the sound of it, you will be up all night!)

Whether you are interested in trying their island-inspired fare, absinthe, and prohibition-era cocktails, taking a ghost tour, or spending the night, Shaker’s has a little bit of everything for everyone.