Kells Irish Pub - A History
What if your favorite Irish pub was once Seattle's busiest mortuary, where thousands of the city's dead began their final journey? This week, we uncover the dark history of Kells Irish Pub, exploring deadly scandals, forgotten tragedies, and the chilling legends of Charlie, the silent man who still appears at the bar, and the mysterious Little Girl in Red who is said to wander the halls after dark.
References
Butterworth Building. (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved June 26, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterworth_Building
Butterworth, E. R. (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved June 26, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Ray_Butterworth
Gardner, J. R. (2012, March 23). Exquisite corpses: E. R. Butterworth's full-service mortuary revolutionized Seattle's funeral business. Seattle Met. https://www.seattlemet.com/news-and-city-life/2012/03/butterworth-mortuarys-exquisite-corpses-april-2012
HistoryLink. (n.d.). Butterworth Building (Seattle). Retrieved June 26, 2026. (Recommended if you want another local history source.)
National Park Service. (1971). National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form: Butterworth Building. U.S. Department of the Interior.
Seattle Mail and Herald. (1904, August 13). The great firm of E. R. Butterworth & Sons.
Yandel, J. (2009, October 31). Seattle's Coziest Embalming Room. KUOW Public Radio.
Here is a clean APA 7th edition reference list based on verified sources about the Butterworth Building, Kells Irish Pub, and the Ghost Adventures episode:
City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods. (n.d.). Butterworth Building (historic resource summary). https://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods
Ghost Adventures Wiki. (n.d.). Kell’s Irish Restaurant Pub (episode). Fandom. https://ghostadventures.fandom.com/wiki/Kell%27s_Irish_Restaurant_Pub_%28episode%29
HistoryLink. (n.d.). Butterworth Building / Butterworth & Sons mortuary history. https://www.historylink.org
IMDb. (2010). Kells Pub/Butterworth Building (Seattle, WA) (Season 4, Episode 14). https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1789276/
Kells Irish Restaurant & Pub. (n.d.). Official website. https://kellsirish.com
National Park Service. (n.d.). Historic American Buildings Survey: Butterworth Building. https://www.nps.gov/subjects/heritageareas
Seattle Met. (2012, March 23). Exquisite corpses: E. R. Butterworth’s mortuary and Seattle history. https://www.seattlemet.com
Seattle Times. (2008, June 13). Ghost stories haunt Pike Place Market. https://www.seattletimes.com
Travel Channel. (2010). Ghost Adventures: Kells Irish Restaurant Pub (Season 4, Episode 14) [TV series episode]. https://www.travelchannel.com
US Ghost Adventures. (n.d.). Butterworth Building haunted history. https://usghostadventures.com
Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. (2008). Historic register listings: Butterworth Building. https://dahp.wa.gov