Some say the ghost of Buddy Holly haunts The Rave. Others believe it’s the spirit of the 16-year-old girl who drowned in the pool soon after the Eagles Club opened in 1927. Whoever it is still lingering in the historic Milwaukee icon, they’ve been spooking staff, patrons, and artists alike for decades.
For the last several years, The Rave haunted tours have been a staple of the holiday season. Visitors get an all-access pass to roam the dark halls, stages, backstage areas, and even the notorious pool that’s filled with thousands of signatures of musicians who’ve played there.
I finally got there this year to check it out, so watch the video below to take the haunted holidays tour of The Rave with me.
Ghosts of The Rave
The building—opened in 1927 as the home to the Milwaukee chapter of the Fraternal Order of Eagles and the “Million Dollar Ballroom,” as it was once called—is known for its ghosts.
Both locally, and among the musicians who visit.
Though some believe The Rave is haunted by Buddy Holly, whose final show is often incorrectly said to have taken place there, the haunting is typically attributed to 16-year-old Francis Wren, who drowned in the pool in 1927, and much of the paranormal activity seems to be centered around it.
Allison Jornlin of American Ghost Walks writes that cold spots, orbs of light, and strange voices are common occurrences in the building. People also frequently report a strong chlorine smell in the empty pool, hearing footsteps, being touched, and encounters with a shadowy figure in the basement.
Others have seen objects move on their own, heard babies crying in the night, and feel like they’re constant being watched by an unseen presence.
“Even Rob Zombie, musician and shock horror connoisseur claimed to be creeped out by disembodied whispering in his dressing room,” Jornlin says.
When I toured the building in 2012 with then promotions director Justin Moralez, he told me he had experienced things like disembodied voices and bar stools turning themselves upside down on the bar. But there was one particular experience that seemed to rattle him the most.
During an event one night, a line had formed at the women’s bathroom and no one was going in or out. Justin went to investigate. The door was locked from the inside. Everyone standing around said they watched a woman walk in and close the door behind her.
But after a long period of time, she didn’t come back out.
Justin knocked and tried to communicate with her through the door, but there was no response.
Finally, The Rave staff decided to go in and check it out, cutting the door from its hinges to gain access.
And the bathroom was empty.
There were no windows or any other way someone could have locked the door and escaped the bathroom.
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