On one fateful February evening in 1918, Memphis police officer Edward L. Broadfoot and his partner L.C. Dowdy were responding to a tip about bootleggers operating out of Preferencia Cafe located at 546 Main Street. When the two officers arrived at the scene and approached three men in the cafe, the suspects opened fire on the officers, wounding Dowdy and killing Broadfoot.
The Broom Closet is now open for business at that location, and the owner, Stephen Guenther, says that Broadfoot’s spirit still lives on within those walls.
Stefano Pollio | Unsplash
If you have ghosts
“We feel like he’s just hanging around,” Guenther says. “This is where he gave his greatest sacrifice. We don’t feel like he’s trapped or anything because it’s like he’s still on patrol.”
Guenther says Broadfoot’s presence has been picked up by various instruments, like a spirit box that provides a white noise for spirits to speak through.
“Sometimes, we’ll get his name or his wife’s name or different things coming through,” Guenther says. “We’ve also had law enforcement people down here. One gentleman got a little tug on his gun when he was here — not nefarious, but more like, ‘Hey, I used to have one of these.'”
Guenther says this is nothing to worry about, as spirits typically aren’t malevolent.
“It can be a very, very positive thing,” says Guenther. “A lot of it is just friends and loved ones trying to look in on us or get our attention to let us know that they’re okay.”
On Wednesday, Guenther will lead guests in a workshop on the basics of reaching out to Broadfoot’s and others’ spirits.
Ghost Hunting 101 Workshop – So you wanna be a ghost hunter?, The Broom Closet, 546 S. Main, Wednesday, January 15th, 7-9 p.m., $10.
