Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Looking for East Liverpool's "Hells Half Acre"

Hells Half Acre was a wild place in its day.  I think it thrived in the 1920's and 30's.  It was a bar owned by Jenny Eckert.  It was right on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, which was convenient for the outlaws of the time.  Legend has it that when the PA police went in to arrest someone, everyone went to the Ohio side of the bar.  When the OH police went in, they went to the PA side of the bar.  And I also heard there was a tunnel for the truly desperate to get away.

This bar was frequented by the likes of John Dillinger and Charles Arthur Pretty Boy Floyd.  I also heard Baby Faced Nelson and Al Capone, but who know for sure.  Considering Mr. Floyd's demise so close to this site, it is possible he may have visited here.

There are actually several foundations up in those woods, including one right by the road, and Jenny's bar could be any one of them.  Just walking up in there was like walking into history, even for just a few minutes. 

There were several old dumps up on there.  Most of the bottle are broken, though I wish they were not.  There were a lot of old and broken glass milk bottles up there.  Lots of broken pottery too.

It is history nearly erased.   Just the ghosts of memories remain now.  Soon, that may be gone, too.