The Ghoul of Grays Harbor
***Mr. Ghost And Ghouls’ first contribution to this blog!***
Is that a cool Pacific breeze on your neck or is that the damp, ephemeral hand of a long-dead killer? That’s a question countless visitors and employees of Billy’s Bar and Grill have been asking themselves for years.
Aberdeen, Washington is known for something a bit more sinister than timber and fish. A long time maritime port, Aberdeen has been a respite to those shipping to and from various ports of call. Billy Gohl, or “Billy Montana” as he was more colorfully known, went about preying upon hapless travelers for more than a quarter century.
Historians attribute more than 100 missing sailors and union opponents to the cold, murderous hands of Gohl. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, Grays Harbor saw the disappearance of more than a hundred men, most likely due to a bullet and a chute to the Wishkah River. The old Sailor’s Union building held the valuables of those departing, as well as one of the most prolific serial killers in US history – Billy Gohl. A sailor who’d had a little too much too drink and holding a few extra coins and notes might find himself lifelessly floating out to sea the next morning like so much other discarded trash thanks to Billy. It wasn’t until a cohort had been caught that was Billy ever brought to justice. While only formally convicted of two killings he’s strongly suspected of so many more.
Long after his trial and ultimate death in a Washington mental asylum, Billy as well as some of the prostitutes and sailors who once graced the premises, seem less than eager to move on from this world. Employees have reported glasses flying from shelves and a regional paranormal research group was able to record a faint but noticeable voice call out “whore.” Most patrons who experience the phenomena report feeling sudden cold spots where the fabric between the living and dead is worn thin.
So when you’re in the far corner of America, along the shores of Grays Harbor, be sure to stop by Billy’s Bar and Grill if your hunger for a hamburger includes a side of the macabre. Flash a little cash while you’re there and see if don’t feel the cold rush of Billy Montana trying to claim one last victim.
