Unexplained tales from two haunted hangouts
Employees at a pair of north-metro restaurants say the establishments
are haunted by mischievous spirits.
David La Vaque, Star Tribune

Like ghosts themselves, the best ghost stories never seem to go away.
But there's no better time than Halloween to share tales of fright and
things that go bump in the night. Mischievous spirits haunt at least two
north-metro establishments, according to employees: Billy's Bar and
Grill in Anoka and the Pizza Hut in Columbia Heights.As Maria King, who
works for the Anoka County Historical Society and directs walking ghost
tours in Anoka, says to her customers: "I know not what the truth may
be. I tell the tale as told to me."A haunting questionBilly's Bar and
Grill in Anoka is haunted. But by whom?Employees call the spirit Mrs.
Jackson, named for Lottie Jackson.

Her husband, Charles, built the Jackson Hotel in the late 1800s. She
died of pneumonia in 1918. The restaurant occupies part of the old
hotel.King, of the Historical Society, said the spirit is a red-headed
prostitute from the 1920s who entered the hotel and disappeared. She has
heard about sightings of a pretty red-headed woman dressed in
white.Whoever it is, the spirit apparently enjoys having fun at the
expense of employees."One of Mrs. Jackson's relatives was in here once
and asked, 'Is Grandma behaving?' " said Janet Bloch, an employee for
eight years.The answer is no.Lights left on are turned off. Lights left
off are turned on. About six years ago, a hot cocoa machine could not be
turned off even after it was unplugged. And the door to a downstairs
storage room was blocked by cases of beer somehow shifted from the
inside.Randi Barbour, who has worked at Billy's for 14 years, said, "I
don't wear my name tag anymore because Mrs. Jackson keeps popping the
pin out so it falls off my shirt."Bob the baker

At the Pizza Hut in Columbia Heights, if the lights flicker, if water
faucets left on are turned off or vice versa, or if the toilet flushes
by itself, employees blame it on "Bob."Bob is the name employees have
given the spirit, which is supposedly a baker who hanged himself in the
building. A Dunkin' Donuts occupied the site from 1976 to 1989.Like the
spirit haunting Billy's, Bob is not evil -- just a supernatural
practical joker."The stamper we use to make bread sticks went missing
one day," general manager Maria Wuollet said. "We searched the store top
to bottom but couldn't find it. Then later on we find it just sitting on
the counter."The building is not insulated, so faucets are supposed to
be left running overnight during the winter months. On several
occasions, employees returned in the morning to find the faucets
inexplicably turned off.

Shift manager Nicole Hull experienced the self-flushing toilet, but that
was not her only close encounter with Bob."Once I was making a pizza,
and I could feel someone breathing on the back of my neck," she said.

David La Vaque ? 612-673-7574 ? dlavaque@startribune.com