America’s Most Haunted Bars: The Great Dane on Doty Street, Madison, Wisconsin

A Storied Past: From “Hotel for the Common Man” to Haunted Brewpub

The building’s roots stretch back to 1858, when George Fess constructed what became known as the Fess Hotel, a “hotel for the common man” that welcomed travelers and their horses for more than a century. With its stables, boarding rooms, and later, office and restaurant spaces, the Fess Hotel was a bustling hub for Madison’s early residents and visitors.

Its service to “all classes of travelers and diners” continued under the Fess family until 1972, making it one of Madison’s longest-running establishments. The building’s historic significance was officially recognized in 1978, when it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, and its 19th-century architecture remains remarkably intact to this day.

Ghostly Encounters and Paranormal Activity

With thousands of people passing through its doors over the decades, it’s no surprise that the Great Dane’s walls are said to echo with more than just laughter and clinking glasses. Reports of paranormal activity are as varied as they are unsettling.

The Switchboard That Wouldn’t Die

During the building’s transition from hotel to restaurant, the old switchboard reportedly lit up and called for service in rooms that no longer existed—phantom calls from guests who never checked out.

The Psychic’s Visit

In 2005, a medium claimed to see multiple spirits inside the pool hall’s bar. In the basement break room, she encountered the spirit of an elderly man who simply asked her the time. But in a small stone-walled storage space, known to employees as the Spooky Room, she sensed a much darker, angrier presence that left staff uneasy to this day.

With thousands of people passing through its doors over the decades, it is no surprise that the Great Dane’s walls are said to echo with more than just laughter and clinking glasses. Reports of paranormal activity are as varied as they are unsettling.

The Spooky Basement and Attic

The downstairs bar was once part of the horse stables and is widely considered the spookiest part of the building. Staff are very generous about sharing their experiences. One time, two hostesses casually mentioned seeing a floating torso of a man in the basement under the pool hall. Staff also reported strange activity above the pool hall in what they call the attic. This space is only used for storage and is accessed by a tall, wobbly pull-down ladder.

During a routine inspection, the “bug lady” who handles vermin control stepped off the ladder in the attic and immediately fell to her knees, saying, “My God, something horrible happened here.” This is someone who chases vermin for a living, which makes the account all the more chilling.

The Pool Hall Poltergeist

Toward the back wall of the pool hall are racks for the pool sticks, and the bar is toward the front. After closing, two bartenders were cleaning up when they heard a noise. They looked up and saw the pool sticks jumping off the wall one by one, as if invisible hands were flicking them.

The Manager’s Sharpie Encounter

The manager had the scariest story of all. One night around 3:00 a.m., she was working alone in the office basement. A Sharpie hanging from the ceiling on a string began to sway for no reason. She tried to ignore it, but then the marker started spinning violently in a circle, as if grabbed by an unseen hand. She immediately left but returned the next day because she needed her job.

First-Person Ghost Accounts

Local writer Kathy Gritton-Eich, a shamanistic practitioner, once investigated the Great Dane with staff and found the building teeming with psychic energy.

• In the basement break room, she sensed the ghost of an old man who politely asked if she had the time. Staff described him as a benign presence.
• On the second floor, she reported an “imbalance of energy” that employees confirmed made door checks at night especially unnerving.
• In the Spooky Room, she encountered an angry spirit so oppressive that one employee refused to return. Kathy recommended the spirit be cleared, though staff still refer to it in hushed tones.

As Kathy put it, “Apparently Fess Hotel patrons enjoy the Fess’ service even in the afterlife.”

How I Discovered the Great Dane’s Ghosts

Back in 2010, I had just moved to Madison and was looking for a way to make rent after my band stopped touring. I’d always loved ghost stories, so I started wondering if Madison had the same kind of haunted history tours I’d seen in Chicago or New Orleans.

One afternoon, I walked into the Great Dane Pub on Doty Street and asked a waitress a question that probably sounded ridiculous:

“Hey, is this place haunted?”

Without hesitation, she said, “Well, I’ve seen at least two ghosts, but you should probably talk to my manager—she’s seen four.”

That was the moment I knew I was onto something. I started digging into the building’s history as the old Fess Hotel, interviewing staff about their strange experiences, and connecting the dots between their stories and Madison’s past. By that September, I had written and launched the very first King Street Spirits Ghost Walk, with the Great Dane as one of its cornerstone stops.

That tour paid my rent, but it also started something much bigger, what eventually became American Ghost Walks, the company my sister Allison and I built to share haunted history across the country. To this day, the Great Dane remains one of my favorite stops, not just because of its atmosphere, but because it’s where I first realized how deep Madison’s ghost stories run.

Ghost Host Lisa Van Buskirk

Today, those same stories are carried forward by Ghost Host Lisa Van Buskirk. After 25 years serving the city as a Madison firefighter, Lisa brings her courage, wit, and passion for storytelling to our tours.

Lisa made headlines as one of the first women hired by the Saginaw Fire Department before joining Madison Fire in 1995. Over her career she fought dangerous blazes, survived a battle with breast cancer, and even became known for her colorful hair and creative “meatloaf art.”

When she retired in 2020, Lisa traded her turnout gear for a vampire cloak and dove into her other calling—sharing the haunted history of Madison. As she says, “At the fire department, we usually meet people on their worst day. Now I get to meet people on their best day and make it even better.”

Lisa delivers the Great Dane’s ghost stories with the same authenticity and bravery that defined her firefighting career.

American Ghost Walks: From Madison to Shark Tank

What began with a single haunted walk in Milwaukee in 2008 has grown into American Ghost Walks, now offering tours in 25 locations across eight states, the US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. My sister Allison Jornlin and I started the company to connect people with local folklore, hidden history, and real ghost stories gathered from bartenders, waiters, and longtime residents.

In 2023, we even pitched American Ghost Walks on ABC’s Shark Tank during the show’s first “Shark-O-Ween” episode. It was surreal to stand in front of the Sharks and share a business that started with me asking a Great Dane waitress if she’d ever seen a ghost.

If You Go

Beyond the spirits (both liquid and spectral), the Great Dane is beloved for its craft beer, hearty pub fare, and one of the best beer gardens in Madison. But if you find yourself in the basement near the Spooky Room, don’t be surprised if you feel a sudden chill... or catch a glimpse of something from the other side.

The ghosts of the Fess Hotel may be here to stay.

See it in person

Whether you believe in ghosts or not, the Great Dane offers something rare, a place where fine dining and spectral legends intertwine. You can come for the oysters and leave with a story you’ll tell for years. We go there on the King Street Spirits tour in Madison, Wisconsin every weekend from May to October and who knows what you'll see?

And if you do head downstairs, take a deep breath and watch your step. You never know who, or what, might be keeping you company.