Crafted & Cured is Haunted!
Downtown Troy, Ohio is
a true gem! Not only does it host the well known Strawberry Festival each year
in June, drawing thousands of people, it also has many wonderful dining options
such as newly renovated restaurants and bars. But did you know that one of them
was haunted?
An old bank, now transformed
into Crafted & Cured, in the heart of town, near the square is haunted by two
former bank employees.
Crafted & Cured is
located in an old bank built in 1929 located on 8 S. Market Street. The business
specializes in craft beers, wines,
and ciders as well as serving an array of charcuterie board options; all
across three different bars in the old bank.
I grew
up going to the bank with my parents and remember its grandness as a child. I
have a wonderful memory of going inside the HUGE Building with my mother as she
made a bank deposit. I still can see the marble floors to the old barred teller
windows with three women sitting behind them ready to take my mother’s deposit
into her account. Now this beautiful
bank has been turned into the most gorgeous bar and party atmosphere with wall
to wall marble and flooring, dressed with old fashion country style tables for friends
and family gatherings. To put it simply, it’s GORGEOUS!
Crafted & Cured opened February, 8th, 2023. I still remember going in and seeing
the grandeur of the newly remodeled space for the first time, it really blows you
away. The owners really did an amazing job and you feel like you can’t stop
staring or looking around because it’s so beautiful.
I remember my husband and I were sitting downstairs
near the front staircase and the food counter. My husband stood up to go the
bathroom leaving me alone and as I waited for him, I had a feeling rush over me
that I was being watched. I looked up to see a mid-height older man, with a
white beard and mustache, and a glass monocle upon his right eye. The older man
was wearing a black tailored suite, well suited to his body, with a hairstyle
from the 1930’s.
I looked up at the man
who stood near the balcony on the second floor of the old bank from where I sat
downstairs and asked him, “Did you work here when this building was a bank?”
He then replied back to
me saying, “Yes, young Lady. I moved here with my wife and children to open
this bank. It is my pride and joy and I am protecting it. I watch over it and
the employees and patrons who come in and out each day.”
The older gentleman was very kind as he looked
around to monitor the environment in a protective manor, as if he never missed
a beat. He then looked back at me and began to tell me about his life and
career. He said he was the manager of the bank, and still considers himself to
be the manager even today. He told me he was very well known in Troy, respected
in town, and that he was a hard worker who took pride in the care of his family,
staff, and clientele. The bank was his pride and joy and it was an honor to run
it and protect the grand building.
I then asked, “Are you
the only spirit in the building?”
“No,” he answered. “There
is a female spirit.”
The kind manager of the
bank also told me where he used to live with his children and wife, downtown
Troy and told he walked to work each day with a smile on his face to be working
at the bank. In a vision, he showed me where he had lived. It was a white house
with white siding that is located along the Great Miami River, which runs
through Troy. Living in Troy, Ohio my whole life, I knew the house well, and
the house still stands to this day.
I thanked him for
communicating with me and sharing his story and life with me. The kind manager
nodded to me in appreciation, like a true gentlemen would have to a lady in his
era. Then I saw him turn and walk into the side wall, where I felt his office
used to reside.
Over the years I have
grown as a patron of the lovely bar, Crafted & Cured and see the old bank manager in the same spot each time I visit.
He appears at the top of the balcony each time I walk in, smiles at me kindly with
a small nod as he looks around with pride to be sure everything is okay in his
old work place. He soon shortly disappears after that or walks into the same wall.
Each time I visit, I get a warm and welcoming feeling from him and know I am
safe and protected. Although I have to say, downstairs is another story, in the
basement of the old bank.
The basement still has a
large old vault as well as 2 bathrooms. I found out where the female spirit
was, whom the old bank manager spoke about the first night I saw him. I walked into
the “Ladies Room” downstairs and I could feel a female spirit right away in the
small space containing only a few small stalls. You definitely experience an uneasiness
in the room, like you want to flee or run from the bathroom, like you are unwanted
and in her space.
I asked the staff once
and the bartender told me that I was right, it’s a female and she likes both
bathrooms but mainly resides in the women’s bathroom and makes people feel
uneasy so they leave quickly. I have had to use the bathrooms several times
downstairs and each time I head into the “Ladies Room,” I get a feeling of: “Get
out of here.”
I have spoken to owners
of the grand old bank, now Crafted & Cured, and they led me to an old
photograph taken when the bank just opened. In the photo there is a huge conference
room with several men sitting around a huge table as if in a meeting. The young
owner asked if any of these men at the large conference table looked like the
man I saw upstairs near the balcony?
Right away I pointed to
a man nearer the left in the photo close to the head of the large table. He had
a white beard and mustache and was dressed in a black suit from the 1930’s era.
The man in the photo looked just like the spirit I always see when I come in to
the bar. The owner looked at me with a gleeful smile when I pointed to the man
and said, “Yep, that is the old manager of the bank!”
The young owner of the bar
then told me that the man in the picture, I had pointed to, had moved to Troy
to oversee the build of the bank and opened the bank. He also informed me that the
manager’s character was exactly like I had described.
In addition, I spoke to
the owner about the old manager’s family and where he had lived in Troy and how
the man had shown me his home in a vision. Once again, the owner smiled but
this time his smile was bigger, as he let out a small laugh.
“You are right again!
He replied with a surprising look and told me that is what he had also found from
his own research he did at the historical library after buying the property. Putting his hand to his head and scratching it
in amazement the owner told me he couldn’t believe I knew all of this.
Soon it was closing
time. As the current owner and I wrapped up our conversation and began walking
toward the exit, I looked up to see the old manager standing in his usual spot.
At first, he seemed very serious but soon I saw his expression change and a
smile spread across his face. The old manager nodded at me, as if to say, I appreciate you passing on my good will
efforts of protection to the new owner. Then the man disappeared and the
balcony was empty.
The young owner walked
me toward the door and thanked me for coming forward and telling him what I had
experienced. He explained to me that he had always felt safe and protected while
in the building and now he knew why.
®Rosella C. Rowe
*Crafted & Cured is located in downtown Troy, Ohio, Please
visit their website for more information: https://craftedncured.com/
