Skip to ContentVirginia City’s most haunted bar, according to its tour guides. The stories have tellers but no independent proof. Story first, then the record.
Checked November 3, 2026. Every claim below names the page it was read on.
LegendNot a verified fact until the answer says so
The Story
The Old Washoe Club on South C Street in Virginia City is promoted as the town’s most haunted building. Debbie Bender, who runs the Virginia City ghost-tour company Bats in the Belfry, told RenoNR in 2022 it is the most haunted location in town, with full-body apparitions, objects that move on their own and disembodied voices [3]. Visit Reno Tahoe’s haunted-places article says the club was built in 1870 as a luxury bar, with a spiral staircase to an upstairs brothel and a freezer called “The Crypt” [1]. A tour guide told KOLO 8 News in 2020 the visit is “about 30% history and 70% ghost” [2].
What Is Actually True
- Visit Reno Tahoe says the stories include an 1873 explosion that killed 12 people, plus suicides and bodies stored in the crypt; it does not give a source for those events and names no teller [1]. Treat them as stories, not documented history.
- The club’s start date is told two ways: Visit Reno Tahoe says built in 1870 [1]; KOLO says the club has operated since 1862 [2].
- The club has been featured on the TV series Ghost Adventures and other cable shows [3].
- Visit Reno Tahoe lists the club as open with guided tours through the week [1]. The club’s own page could not be read, so hours and prices are not stated here.
Still Unconfirmed
The 1873 explosion death toll; the crypt and brothel details; any named ghost; the build year (1862 vs 1870).
Frequently Asked Questions
Who says the Washoe Club is haunted?
Tour operators and the club’s own tours, for example Bats in the Belfry’s Debbie Bender [3] and a club tour guide quoted by KOLO [2].
Is there proof of ghosts there?
No. The sources are tour operators and TV features; none offers independent evidence [1][2][3].
Can you visit?
Visit Reno Tahoe lists guided tours of its haunted history through the week [1]. Check with the club for hours before you go.
Sources
- Haunted places in Virginia City, Visit Reno Tahoe (Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority). Read 2026-11-03.
- “Silver State Sights: Old Washoe Club” (2020-08-25), KOLO 8 News Now. Read 2026-11-03.
- “A haunting we will go: Spooky season materializes in Northern Nevada” (2022-10-09), RenoNR (Reno News and Review). Read 2026-11-03.
Cite this page: It’s Reno editorial team, “The Washoe Club Ghost Stories,” itsreno.com/legends/washoe-club-ghosts/, checked November 3, 2026. Legends are labelled as legends; ghost stories are never invented.