A Roadside Beacon in Butler County’s History
In the rolling hills of Butler County, along the old north-south corridor of Route 8, stands the Beacon Hotel – a tavern and roadhouse that has watched a century of local history unfold. Established around 1929 and family-run ever since , the Beacon Hotel earned its name by becoming a literal “beacon” for travelers on what was once the main highway between Pittsburgh and the farmlands and oil fields to the north. (Route 8 itself evolved from an old turnpike and was first designated a state highway in 1926 , paving the way for roadside establishments like the Beacon.) Just a short drive from the small borough of Mars – a town founded in the 1870s and known for its quirky name – the Beacon Hotel’s location gave it access to both local patrons and wayfarers seeking food and rest.
In its early years, the Beacon was truly an inn – offering lodging as well as hearty meals and stiff drinks (or “soft” drinks during Prohibition). According to local lore, the property was originally a farmhouse that the founding family converted into a tavern and hotel in the late 1920s . This rural estate-turned-roadhouse soon became a gathering place. Farmers from nearby townships, road-trippers rolling up Route 8’s two-lane pavement, and workers from the oil and coal industries that once boomed in Butler County could all be found rubbing elbows at the Beacon’s bar. Even as the decades passed and interstates drew traffic away, the Beacon Hotel remained a beloved pit stop – “been here before just about anything else around,” as fourth-generation co-owner Nick Krelow proudly quipped .
Family-Owned Through Four Generations
Part of what gives the Beacon Hotel its enduring character is the continuity of family ownership. The business has been passed down through the Krelow family since its founding in 1929 . It all began with Thomas Krelow, a Russian immigrant who arrived in America in 1912 with little more than hope and determination (family stories recall how he left behind his sweetheart, Exupoxia, promising to send for her once he established himself). By the late 1920s, Thomas had settled in Butler County and opened the Beacon Hotel – planting the seed of a multi-generational enterprise. Through the hardships of the Great Depression and the uncertainty of World War II, the Krelows kept the doors open, serving homemade pierogies, stew, and (when legally allowed) locally-brewed beer to keep spirits high.
As the ownership torch passed, each generation put its own mark on the Beacon. In the mid-20th century, Thomas’s son (and later, grandson) continued the tradition, maintaining the Beacon as both a neighborhood bar and a traveler’s rest. The lodging side of the business gradually waned as motels and modern hotels proliferated, but the “Hotel” name stuck – a nostalgic nod to its heritage as an inn. By the early 1990s, the reins were in the hands of Greg and Debra Krelow, who embarked on a major renovation of the venerable roadhouse in 1994 to restore and update it . They officially reopened “their chapter” of the Beacon in 1995, refurbishing the building while carefully preserving its rustic charm. Original hardwood floors, the old fieldstone fireplace, and vintage beer signs collected over decades all remained in place, giving the interior a warm, time-capsule atmosphere. Meanwhile, Greg and Debra’s children – Nicklas and Chandler – grew up busily bussing tables, frying wings, and learning the ropes, poised to become the fourth generation of Krelows to keep the operation running .
Today, portraits of earlier Krelow family members hang on the walls, and longtime regulars can point out subtle changes made over the years (a dining room expansion here, a new patio stage for bands there) while affirming that the Beacon still feels much like it did decades ago. The menu even carries a “Krelow Burger,” a namesake creation honoring the family legacy. In 2023, the Beacon was featured by the America’s Best Restaurants series, an occasion that brought both pride and reflection. “It’s cool to be recognized,” Nick Krelow said, noting that the Beacon had outlived most other businesses in the area and become a local institution . Through it all, the credo has been simple: treat folks like family, serve up hearty food and cold beer, and the rest will follow.
Cold Beer, Hot Wings, and Local Color
For all its history, the Beacon Hotel is no dusty museum piece – it’s a lively roadhouse that moves with the times. On any given weeknight, you might find bikers in leather jackets mingling with off-duty farmers in muddy work boots, all enjoying what many insist are the “best jumbo wings in the county.” (Beacon wings have something of a regional cult status – crispy, whole jumbo wings slathered in signature sauces that routinely win local WingFest cook-offs.) The Beacon proudly embraces a laid-back, country vibe, billing itself as “the place for cold beer, hot wings, blue jeans and country things” . A glance around the bar on a busy night reveals walls adorned with decades’ worth of beer memorabilia and local sports team pennants, a pool hall area with what one reviewer called “one of the best pool table setups” around, and an outdoor patio where live bands crank out classic rock and country tunes on summer weekends .
Over the years, the Beacon has hosted countless community events that add to its storied reputation. Throughout the 1980s and ‘90s, it was known for its weekend polka dances and holiday parties. Since the 2000s, it has become home to an annual Butler WingFest competition (for a time drawing thousands of chicken-wing aficionados each summer). Bikers often organize charity runs that start or end at the Beacon’s ample gravel parking lot. Even unique events like “Midget Wrestling” nights and Cajun-themed Fat Tuesday parties have found a home here, illustrating the Beacon’s eclectic and welcoming spirit. In the words of one patron, “This is perhaps the bar with the most character in the Butler North Hills area. It’s an old farming estate turned into a hotel… now a restaurant [with] live music… an adult game hangout” . In short, the Beacon Hotel wears many hats: it’s a local eatery, a dive bar, a music venue, and a piece of living history all at once.
Yet amid the laughs and clinking glasses, some visitors sense something else lingering in the air at the Beacon – something a bit beyond the ordinary. In the low hum of conversation and classic rock on the jukebox, a keen ear might catch the faintest hint of a different tune: the whispers of old stories and perhaps even spirits that refuse to leave.
Ghostly Legends and Local Lore
No chronicle of the Beacon Hotel would be complete without examining its reputation as one of Butler County’s most haunted establishments. For decades, employees and regulars have swapped tales of eerie encounters within the Beacon’s walls. The stories range from playful to downright chilling. Some speak of lights that flicker or turn on by themselves after closing time, or the jukebox inexplicably playing a particular old song when no one is near it. Others claim to have heard footsteps on the old second-floor boards (where guest rooms once were) when the upstairs is empty, or even to have spotted the apparition of a woman in a dated dress gliding past the edge of their vision late at night. Could these be echoes of former proprietors or patrons who loved the Beacon so much they never left?
By 2010, the ghost stories had become prominent enough to attract the attention of local media and paranormal investigators. WPXI News in Pittsburgh ran a feature titled “Is The Beacon Hotel Haunted? Investigation Teams Look Into Ghosts,” reporting that the owners, customers, and staff all truly believed something supernatural was afoot in the old hotel . The once-hotel, now-restaurant was said to have unexplained phenomena that two separate paranormal teams set out to investigate . Armed with EMF meters, infrared cameras, and digital voice recorders, the ghost hunters spent nights in the Beacon’s basement and back rooms, attempting to communicate with any spirits that might dwell there. According to those present, the investigators did come away with some tantalizing findings – one team claimed to capture an EVP (electronic voice phenomenon) of a faint greeting in response to a question, and another recorded video of an orb of light zipping across the empty dance floor. While skeptics might shrug these off as dust or radio interference, the experiences were convincing enough for the investigators to conclude that something unexplained resides at the Beacon.
The owners have been candid about their paranormal guests. They don’t shy away from the haunted reputation – if anything, they embrace it as part of the Beacon’s identity. Some former employees have admitted they were initially uneasy locking up alone at 3 AM, but came to regard the alleged ghost as a sort of quiet coworker. “It doesn’t bother us; she’s just part of the place,” one long-timer supposedly said of a female spirit some believe to be a past barmaid. (Local legend has it that a woman who worked here in the 1940s suffered a fatal fall in the cellar and that her friendly ghost still comes upstairs now and then to check on things – a story passed down but never definitively verified.) Such lore only adds to the Beacon’s allure. Far from scaring people away, the tales of hauntings seem to draw more curious customers in. As one travel reviewer noted, “It’s also reported that the Beacon has been deemed haunted – which just adds to the charm” of the establishment.
Haunted Attractions and Halloween Traditions
Building on its ghostly reputation, the Beacon Hotel has turned spooky season into a signature attraction. Every fall, as the leaves change and October winds howl, the Beacon transforms its surrounding property into a Halloween destination. What started as a modest haunted hayride put on by the owners and some imaginative friends in the late 1990s has grown into an annual Haunted House & Corn Maze event that is one of the most popular in Western Pennsylvania. Now in its third decade, the Beacon’s haunt spans 15 acres of cornfield and woods behind the hotel, complete with winding trails populated by costumed creatures, plus a multi-room haunted house built in an old barn on the grounds . Attendees begin their evening by climbing aboard a tractor-pulled wagon at the Beacon’s back lot – and from the moment the tractor lurches forward into the darkness, the scares begin. Dozens of volunteers dressed as zombies, clowns, witches, and worse lie in wait among the corn stalks to give guests a proper fright.
This isn’t just a small local hayride – it’s a serious operation that draws thousands. In fact, “as an extension of the Beacon Hotel restaurant, the haunted attraction annually brings in thousands of people over five weekends during the fall season,” according to the Butler Eagle newspaper . Families, teenagers, and thrill-seekers from all over the region flock to the Beacon each October to test their courage. Fridays and Saturdays are for full-on scares (with actors and strobe lights ready to send you running), while Sunday afternoons are reserved for “No Scare” family hours where kids can navigate the corn maze in daylight, gather treats, and even visit a petting zoo in a much friendlier atmosphere . The haunted attraction has become so popular that it’s now a significant part of the Beacon’s legacy. It’s not every bar that can say it has its own seasonal scare park!
Locals will tell you that visiting the Beacon’s Haunted Corn Maze and House is a must for Halloween – often topping the lists of best haunted attractions in the county. The fact that it’s run by a historic “haunted” hotel only makes the experience more immersive. After wandering through dark rows of corn and shrieking at chain-saw wielding ghouls, guests can (if their nerves are still intact) cap off the night by stepping into the Beacon itself for a pint and a basket of wings. There’s a certain magic to it: the blend of manufactured frights outside and the authentic, ghost-inhabited ambiance inside. On crisp autumn nights, with jack-o’-lanterns glowing and laughter mixing with nervous screams in the fields, the Beacon Hotel truly lives up to its name – a beacon of both festive fun and lingering mystery.
A Lasting Legacy of Local Spirit(s)
From its humble origins nearly a hundred years ago to its status today as a beloved watering hole and haunted attraction, the Beacon Hotel stands as a testament to local heritage and folklore. It’s rare for any business to remain in one family for four generations; rarer still for it to thrive by adapting to the times while keeping its character so intact. The Beacon has managed to do just that. It continues to serve as a social hub for Forward Township and surrounding communities, just as it did in the early 20th century when Route 8 was young and Mars was a tiny railroad town. Walk through the Beacon’s doors, and you are greeted by the same hearty hospitality that travelers might have experienced in 1929 – plus a few modern touches like flat-screen TVs and a digital jukebox among the neon beer signs.
Yet it’s the intangibles that truly define the Beacon: the sense of camaraderie among patrons who all seem to know each other, the proud family stewardship evident in every corner of the place, and the thrill of the unknown that comes with its ghost stories. Whether you come for a beer and burger on a random Tuesday, or for a spine-tingling adventure on a haunted October night, the Beacon Hotel offers a uniquely Pittsburgh-region experience. It’s factual history and spectral lore, wrapped up together under one roof (and perhaps in one or two otherworldly residents lurking just out of sight).
In an era when trendy chain restaurants come and go, the Beacon endures – a little weather-worn on the outside, maybe, but glowing with life (and afterlife, some say) on the inside. As the neon sign on its front porch flickers to life each evening at dusk, it continues to draw in the curious and the thirsty alike. After all, at a place that serves up both spirits in a glass and spirits of the paranormal kind, every night is a chance to make memories and maybe glimpse a bit of ghostly history. The Beacon Hotel’s century of spirits and stories only grows richer with each passing year, ensuring that its haunted history will live on in local lore for generations to come.
