Haunted History of Carlos O’Kelly’s in Marion, Iowa

This is the story of the first Hunt in Iowa. It is a simple fact finding investigation. I was scoping out the land, if you will.

The Carlos O’Kelly’s in Marion, Iowa (3320 Armar Dr, Marion, IA 52302) is a Haunter Restaurant , or so they tell me.

On the afternoon of March 13, 2020 (before all the COVID-19 closures) my roommate and I decided to interview someone at the restaurant about the hauntings. This is what I found out from our waiter.

The building was once a bar and dancehall. The public records on this are sketchy on this detail. The building was built as a restaurant in 1978. I could not locate information on what the establishment was called. Carlos O’Kelly’s took control of the building in 2016.

According to lore there was an elderly couple who loved to dance. They came by weekly to enjoy beer and spirits, and dance the night away. The wife excused herself to visit the lady’s room. She was found there dead of a stroke. Her Ghost  still hangs around.

Now, at night after the doors are closed for the evening, employees experience phones that don’t stop ringing, hot coffee appearing in the manager’s office, plates, salt and pepper shakers, cups, and bar glasses disappearing and reappearing in different locations.

This was relayed to me by past and present employees, and the story has appeared in a number of books and websites.

I never saw any evidence of the poltergeist. I was there as a happy customer to ask a few questions, and enjoy the food.

To be Continued