But luckily for the Halfway Hotel on Port Rd, its local other-wordly resident is more a joker than a haunter.

Long-time maintenance worker at the historic pub, Les Porker, said "Ol' George's" most famous stunt was turning all the kegs in the cellar upside down one night more than 30 years ago.

The next day hotel staff found the kegs and assumed it was one of their own that played the joke.

But until this day no one has owned up to it, so Ol' George has copped the blame, he said.

The Beverley hotel celebrates its 165th anniversary this month, and is among the city's oldest watering holes.

State Library records show the Halfway Hotel is just over 10 years younger than South Australia's oldest pub - the Edinburgh Castle in Currie Street - which was granted the first licence to sell alcohol in May 1837.

According to Mr Porker, 57, of Pennington, the rumour is George was a frequent patron of the pub until the 1930s.

"People have heard noises and footsteps and when they turned around there was nobody there," Mr Porker said.

Cleaner Judy Just, 72, of Seaton, said George also liked to rearrange the furniture when no one was looking.

"He seems to like giving people a scare but he is pretty friendly and you get use to him hanging around."

She said the hotel got its name because it was the halfway point for people travelling from the docks at Port Adelaide to the city.

"There use to be stables where the gaming room is now and there even use to be a trough where people would leave their horses for a drink."

Mr Porker and Ms Just said they both had grown to love the hotel's history and the regulars who always had a good story to tell.

The hotel will celebrate its 165th anniversary on Sunday, March 24, from 1pm, with live bands, drink specials and a chance to meet Port Power players.