The Terrifying Story Behind This Old-Timey Saloon In Georgia Still Haunts The Neighborhood
By Marisa Roman|Published December 28, 2017
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Marisa Roman
Author
A New Jersey native with over 15 years of writing experience, Marisa has studied at both New York University and Florida International University. She has lived all over the country, including a decade stint in South Florida. Marisa is well-versed in exploration as she travels a good majority of the year in her self-converted Sprinter van. Her articles have been featured in various notable publications over the years, she has a published collection of short stories, and three completed screenplays under her belt.
One of the most famous bars in Georgia in the 1970s was T.K Harty’s Saloon. People would come to Athens, Georgia from all over to hang at this local watering hole. Until one day, when a savage murder rocked the entire town, leaving behind a trail of question marks in it’s wake. In fact, the terrifying story behind this old-timey saloon still haunts the neighborhood of Athens to this day. If you’ve never heard of the story behind the murder of T.K. Harty, then this is one read that’ll have you hooked until the end.
T.K. Harty’s Saloon was the go-to place in Athens in the 1970s to get a few beers and hang with the locals.
With a mix of University of Georgia college students, business professionals, union workers and residents just looking for a night out, T.K. Harty’s was always packed.
At the time of the murder, Athens was considered to be an All-American style college town, where the only types of crime that occurred involved not using a turn signal.
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But what shocked the town most of all was how T.K. Harty was murdered—shot execution style, slumped over his desk.
The place run by John Mooney, started selling pitchers of beer half the price of what T.K’s Saloon was, or selling nickel beers instead of dime beers.
In 1977, Harty was fed up with the undercutting of his business and bought the lease of all the buildings, now owning the spot where Somebody’s Pizza called home.
The feud between T.K. Harty and John Mooney escalated quickly between threats of eviction to attempted arson which actually set fire to and damaged T.K.’s deck.
It wasn’t until T.K. Harty showed up dead one evening when he didn't show up to his girlfriend's place that all eyes were on Mooney.
As it turned out, Mooney was accused of hiring a hitman by the name of Elmo Liston Florence to murder Harty. Both men were convicted of murder in 1978 and sentenced to life in prison.
But the story doesn’t stop there—in 1980, Mooney escaped from Wayne County medium-security prison and took off in a car waiting for him down the road.
While the story that remained a mystery for so long may seemingly have a surprise ending, it still leaves a terrifying stain on the history of beautiful Athens, Georgia.
