A saloon building that has lasted for 125 years is bound to have a few haunts hanging around. The Peerless Saloon & Grill in Anniston, Ala., is no exception.

Peerless is Alabama’s “oldest operating bar,” according to its website. The bar is still housed in the building constructed in 1899 by Robert “Daddy” Garner at 15 W. 10th St.

As the name implies, it still offers food and beverages for weary travelers and anyone else who stops by.

As for the ghosts: the Oxford Paranormal Society says, “the site is haunted by a lady … who appears in early 1900s style clothing … there are claims that in the early 1900s, there used to be a brothel here and the lady seen is the actual madam that managed that brothel.”

If you don’t believe in that kind of spirits, there are plenty of spirts to imbibe at the bar. Ironically, back in 1903, the original owner got into trouble with the public over an advertisement he wrote about drinking.

He published a public apology in the Anniston Star on March 22, 1903: “To the public: Upon opening the new Peerless saloon, I announced that I proposed to run same on first class principles and cater to ‘men who know how to drink,’ and … my announcement seems to have been misunderstood…”

Apparently, some townsfolk thought Garner would be running a full-on party palace. His ad sought to reassure them that “It is my desire to make the Peerless a nice quiet orderly place where it will be a pleasure to trade.” It seems to have worked in his favor.

At some point after 1904, Garner felt the need for a new bar mirror. He found a well-known one: the massive mirror-backed mahogany bar was featured at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis.

Garner operated the saloon until his death in 1919 and the building was eventually abandoned. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

The Peerless Saloon reopened for business in 1992; in 2009, the restaurant was added.

The Alabama tourism site says the saloon features live music Thursday through Saturday nights and the restaurant “offers delicious southern cuisine in a relaxing atmosphere.”

If you’re thinking of checking it out, stay for a weekend and see the historic Anniston Inn Kitchen, the Coldwater Creek Covered Bridge, World’s Largest Office Chair and some of the historic buildings in downtown Anniston.

Find lodging in the area – like the historic Victorian Hotel Finial – at Booking.com or Vrbo.com.