Spirits of Ybor City
By Liz Reed
Ybor City was founded in 1886 by Vincent Martinez Ybor. American tariffs on imported cigars and political trouble in Cuba made the cigar companies move to America, making Ybor the cigar capital of the world. This attracted thousands of Cuban, Spanish, and Italian immigrants to a multi-ethnic community.
The decline in the cigar industry due to the Great Depression, which brought lack of sales, and the new machines doing the rolling caused businesses and people to leave the area.
The workers who stayed behind asked for more money as hand-rolling was a craft that a machine could never do. The workers went looking for help to have someone back them. That’s when the mafia really moved in. With Tampa being within nine miles, it opened a whole new area. The Ybor Mafia controlled the gambling and bootlegging. They especially ran “La Bolita,” a numbers game from prohibition and on. The “dean of Tampa’s underworld,” Charlie Wall ran the mafia from the late 1800s to the 1950s, controlling everything from elections to the numbers game.
During this time, he was involved in a turf war with Ignazio Antinori. The Era of Blood ended with the death of Antinori and several other gangsters.
This gave Santo Trafficante, Sr., the chance to move in and take over the mafia. He said he was going to spare Charlie Wall’s life. But did he? In April of 1955, Charlie was found in his home, his head beaten in by a baseball bat and his throat slit ear to ear. Santo Trafficante, Jr., took over after his father. He became one of the most powerful mob bosses in the U.S.
Today Ybor has changed. Little shops and restaurants abound and let’s not forget the roosters wandering around the streets. But when the skies turn dark, the spirits come out.
The Cuban Club is supposed to be one of America’s most haunted buildings. You’ll find an array of spirits from the lady in the white gown who is seen through the building to “Little Jimmy” who drowned. People also hear phantom piano music, and there was a tragic suicide that happened on stage. Spirits of old club members are heard carrying on conversations.
JC Newman Cigar Factory is another hot spot to find the spirits. Security and staff have reported seeing orbs of lights, strange sensations, and the feeling of the old workers still doing their jobs.
Spooky Easy Lounge has its own spirit that likes to hide out in the downstairs women’s bathroom. It likes to come out and give you a scare when you’re in there.
Centro Espanol is haunted by the spirit of a man who died trying to break open the safe in 1908.
At the Florida Brewery, the tallest building in Ybor, two guests drank too much and got into an agreement over beer. One of the young men suffered serious head injuries and ended up dying. His spirit is said to still be there. Objects move on their own, slight breezes are felt like someone walking past you, and, when it’s quiet, you may hear a voice in Spanish, and a little drunk still yelling about the beer.
The Don Vincente Inn was built in 1890.One of oldest building in Ybor, it was dubbed “Hotel Hell” the Travel Channel. In all the years this building has stood, it has seen a lot of deaths. There are reports of lights flickering on and off, footsteps are heard when no one is around, and faucets turn off and on.
Room 302 seems to be the most active. An apparition of a man is seen standing at the foot of the bed. The most famous ghost is Jose Luis Avellanal, son of Dr. Avellanal. When the Inn was a medical clinic, Dr. Avellanal worked there, mostly to treat the people his son had injured. Legend says that his son impersonated his father and performed fatal procedures. He would use the underground tunnels to dispose of bodies and take them to the incinerator.
Don’t forget all the gangsters who were killed and are still wandering around. Keep an eye out when passing someone on the street. You never know if it’s the spirit of a gangster out and about for the night.
I hope you go on a tour one night and visit some of these hot spots and have a chat with a spirit or two.