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Printer’s Alley And The Rainbow Room

Nashville’s Printer’s Alley was once a seedy, dark stretch that inspired nothing but tales of caution. Today, it is a hub of nightlife entertainment where neon lights invite passersby and patrons to give in to their indulgences. Long before its descent into the darkness that engulfed this two-block-long alley of vigor, Printer’s Alley was where industry flourished. Printing presses and newspapers gave the backstreets their purpose, serving the local economy well. 

The more its print publications thrived, though, Printer’s Alley fell deeper into a well of wickedness, spurring a timeline of events that lend to the ghost stories told today. Even as the alley pulled itself from the roots of its infamy, a stain had been left on its aura, one that visitors can physically sense as they partake in the more tempered entertainment of its 21st-century revitalization.

Join Nashville Ghost Tours on a verbal exploration of Printer’s Alley’s sordid history, from its 18th-century foundation to its evolution into a den of sin two centuries later. Get to know the spectral remnants and delve into a dark past that continues to shroud the spirited alley.

Is Printer’s Alley in Nashville Haunted?

Printer’s Alley is touched by a dark past tied to its most infamous roaming apparition, although the bright lights that illuminate the alley today suggest otherwise.

The former owner of Skull’s Rainbow Room remains part of Printer’s Alley’s past and present. His blood, which spilled in a senseless act of violence, forever marred the alley’s image.

Owner of Rainbow Room Nashville
Copyright US Ghost Adventures

The Early Years of Printer’s Alley

Much of the focus on the small Nashville alley is on its 20th-century decline into a nest of iniquities, but its roots dig deeper through the city’s history. Long before darkness moved in on the alley, it had a simple and seemingly far less problematic existence. 

Tracing the timeline to the beginning, you’ll meet the land’s first owner, wealthy businessman George M. Deaderick. Already well-financed before coming to Nashville in 1788, Deaderick launched a merchandising business, where he worked closely with other merchants, ensuring their inventories remained stocked.

One of his more frequent customers was the recently established town of Nashville. Having worked with the town so often, he even donated a plot of land in exchange for having a street named after him. 

Deaderick’s legacy continued to prosper as he worked alongside Andrew Jackson to establish Tennessee’s first bank. All the while, the land he donated was being prepared for conversion into an alleyway used by patrons to hitch their horses. As the 19th century progressed, the alley evolved even more, eventually attracting two businesses that earned it its name.    

The Printing Legacy of Nashville

During the 1830s, just over a decade after Deaderick’s passing, the alley found its purpose. Publishing houses moved in on the available territory, eventually earning the alley its current moniker. Founded around 1828, Printer’s Alley welcomed droves of publishers of all sizes, eventually attracting the attention of two notable newspaper offices. 

The Tennessean ran its first publication in 1812 and quickly established a foundation in Printer’s Alley. The hub for the Nashville Banner also found a home in the small alley, bringing even more industry to the growing section of Nashville.

In an industry run by men, it didn’t take long for businesses catering to the working man to move in and take advantage of the growing profits. Before the turn of the 20th century, Printer’s Alley developed a “Men’s Quarter” brimming with saloons, hotels, and anything else needed to cater to printing leaders.

Prohibition did nothing to stop the flow of alcohol, and soon, empty offices and available building space gave way to speakeasies and jazz clubs. Throughout the 1900s, Printer’s Alley became a space of debauchery, though its most notable story unfolded near the end of its more sinful age.

Amidst the chaos of the booming publication awaited tragedy. The staff of The Tennessean arrived to work on the morning of November 10, 1908, to find that fellow journalist and a former candidate for Congress and the Senate, Edward Ward Carmack, had been shot and killed. 

His death was directly related to a scolding editorial he wrote for The Nashville Tennessean against his old mentor of the Nashville American, Duncan Cooper. Cooper had supported Carmack’s rival during a failed governor race, and the latter’s words were enough to warrant a fatal bullet.

The Death of David “Skull” Schulman

As shocking as Carmack’s murder was, and it only became more shocking when his killer was pardoned by the governor many years later, another brutal and sudden slaying left its imprint on Printer’s Alley.

Haunted Bar Nashville
Copyright US Ghost Adventures

Among the brilliant minds that brought business to Printer’s Alley during its heyday was David “Skull” Schulman. Then, Schulman, a young businessman who knew how to take advantage of the whims and desires of the everyday man, found success during his time in the alley.

Even as the years progressed and the alley grew even seedier, Schulman knew how to pivot to attract new clientele. Even when up against new strip joints, which replaced the dramatized burlesque shows, his establishment, The Rainbow Room, continued to drum up business.

Unfortunately, it all came to a sudden end on January 21, 1998, when an 80-year-old Schulman, who still ran The Rainbow Room, was found dead in a pool of blood. His then-unknown assailant slit his throat and bludgeoned him over the head.

Schulman never really found peace in the afterlife, for even when his murderer was discovered three years later, there was no closure or even a personal reason for his death. It was a robbery, plain and simple. In that simplicity, though, lies the depth of the tragedy of his slaying.

Following his death, Schulman’s The Rainbow Room shut down. It would be another 17 years before the business again graced Printer’s Alley with its presence. Along with this new business came a wandering entity and its’ strong connection to the venue.

Skull Returns to Printer’s Alley

There’s little question as to who haunts Skull’s Rainbow Room, his name still gracing the marquee hanging over the streets of Printer’s Alley. Schulman was ripped from the world suddenly and tragically that January day. Though he was 80 at the time of his passing, his spirit seems revitalized, as if siphoning from the positive vibes and good energy that flow throughout. 

Schulman isn’t a nuisance to the bar’s future, though he may be stuck in his ways. His spirit moves around empty glasses, especially if they’re sitting in front of the second to last bar stool. That seat is reserved for Schulman, even in the afterlife. 

Haunted Nashville

The longer you spend at Printer’s Alley, the more you may start to feel a touch of its past bleeding through. Though there are few well-known recorded deaths, the blood spilled in Printer’s Alley manifested a darkness that still festers in the shadows. Printer’s Alley has been known for its long and emotionally complicated past, from its earliest years as a hub for Nashville’s printing publications to a site of grizzly murder. 

You may happen upon other haunts of Printer’s Alley’s past, like the sharp tongue of Mr. Carmack. However, the man behind Skull’s Rainbow Room keeps a firm grip on our reality. You can hear more about this iconic haunting during your time with Nashville Ghost Tours, so book your tour today so you do not miss out on many of the city’s haunting treasures.

Want to know what spectral stains may await on an explorative tour of Nashville? Then, keep reading our blog, and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for more Florida haunts.

Sources:

  1. https://citydays.com/places/printers-alley
  2. https://www.geni.com/people/George-Deaderick/6000000018164338349
  3. https://www.knoxfocus.com/archives/the-daily-focus/tennessee-state-library-gives-free-access-190-years-tennessean/
  4. https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2018/08/10/nashville-printers-alley-arcade-bourbon-street-blues-boogie/741819002
  5. https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/a-nostalgic-stroll-through-the-good-old-bad-old-days-of-printers-alley/article_55ed8ece-7ca7-5b10-8b67-6e86d43e6a15.html
  6. https://tnmuseum.org/Stories/posts/who-was-edward-carmack
  7. https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/with-the-reopening-of-skulls-rainbow-room-in-printers-alley-we-visit-a-story-of/article_2e8a0270-9f14-56ca-bb04-574e6f3d23e5.html
  8. https://vanderbilthustler.com/2024/11/06/tunnels-to-towers-a-tour-of-nashvilles-haunted-past

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