The Tavern at the Sergeantsville Inn

On Black Friday, I ignored shopping invitations from Mr. Macy & Mr. Gimble and whiled away the afternoon talking and taking photos in the warm & cozy tavern of the historic Sergeantsville Inn with APHR cohorts Chris Poh and Ed Petersen, as well as friend Don “Juan” Garrido. The Sergeantsville Inn is quietly situated in the heart of rural, yet posh Hunterdon County, New Jersey, ranked as America’s wealthiest suburban county in 2007.

Don Juan Garrido Sipping a Guinness © Kathleen Connally

Sergeantsville was first called Skunktown because it served as a market center for skunk pelts in the late 1700s, but was renamed in 1827 for Charles Sergeant, a local landowner and Revolutionary War soldier. The Sergeantsville Inn was originally built as a private home but was later used as a grain & feed store, a grocery store and an ice cream parlor.

Old Speckled Hen Tap © Kathleen Connally

While I was sipping on a beautifully poured pint of Old Speckled Hen, Chris mentioned that a section of the handsome stone structure once served as the town’s ice house, and that some of the Inn’s staff have experienced ghostly encounters in that part of the building.

I was thrilled to learn that Ed is researching and writing a full story about the Sergeantsville Inn for an upcoming issue of APHR, where he’ll interview the employees about their adventures with the shadows and spectres that live there.  I’m looking forward to Ed’s story and to returning to the tavern later this month as I search for the Ghost of Christmas Present.

Chris Poh in the Ice House © Kathleen Connally

– Written & Posted by Kathleen Connally

A Haunting on the Delaware

As to whether or not spirits roam the halls of the Black Bass Hotel is a matter of personal opinion and experience. One thing is for certain though, this three century old tavern and inn located in Lumberville, Pennsylvania is about to come back from the dead, and that will go a long way to raise this publican’s spirit.

Having been featured in the premier issue of American Public House Review, it was terribly disheartening to hear that the Black Bass had closed, having fallen victim to the current economic climate and a series of devastating floods along the Delaware River that had  exacerbated structural damage to the property. But Grant Ross, the general manager and the gentleman that is overseeing the meticulous rebuilding and restoration of the Bass assures me that this historic inn will be ready to properly receive guests in the early part of 09.

During a recent guided tour of the construction, I inquired about any paranormal activities that might have occurred as a result of alterations being made to the building. Mr. Ross said that while he had not experienced anything firsthand, a number of the workers had made claims of strange happenings, and one particular laborer would not enter certain areas of the building without suitable escort.

As for myself I encountered nothing out of the ordinary during my visit; but there is the matter of this photograph of the old bar that I took while I was in the tavern room. Now I tend to be quite skeptical about the phenomena of orbs, and the belief held by some that they are the residual energy of those that have passed on. I lean more toward the opinion that they are nothing more than dust, reflected light and some aspect of digital processing. But I’ll let you decide…

Happy Halloween from the spirits at the Black Bass! 

Posted by: Chris Poh, Publisher

American Public House Review celebrates first anniversary!

Today we begin our one year anniversary of the American Public House Review.  Last October our journey began and it is hard to believe that we have been at it for a year already.  But this is a labor of love, and as is the case of with most fun things time really flies.

details at the Braveheart

In observance of this anniversary month, we here at the Pub Talk blog will take a look back at some of our favorite places we visited in this last year.  To begin, we travel back to a place we enjoyed in our very first issue.  It is a fabulous Scottish Pub in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley called “Braveheart Highland Pub”.

With big towns like Bethlehem, Easton, and Allentown right near by, it is easy to pass over Hellertown.  But if you are a lover of great pubs, that would be a mistake.  “Braveheart” is an attraction onto itself.  Whether you want great food, a terrific beer selection, or football from the United Kingdom you’ll find it there.

Posted by: David McBride

Exercising The Right of Peaceful Assemblage

 

 

 

Every four years our presidential candidates engage in the loftiest and least attainable of all political ambitions – validating the present by associating themselves with the past. I suspect even if time travel were possible, I doubt very much that Doctor Franklin and his brothers in insurrection would attempt to bolster their standing amongst their constituents by making a similar connection with the future generations of  American politicians.

 

In fact any suspension of those inherent properties that seem to keep us operating in our own time and space might have caused them to reconsider the merits of rebellion. But this trivial rite of electioneering does serve its purpose. Any gesture that motivates us to better understand the people and events that gave substance to the American experiment strengthens the overall constitution of the republic.

 

 

 During the month of July our correspondents will exercise their rights of peaceful, and on occasion spirited, assemblage by visiting a number of taverns and location that were instrumental to the founding of this nation. And while we may not be able to think like our forefathers, we will make a concerted effort to at least drink like them.

 

The staff and editors of American Public House Review wish our fellow countrymen a celebratory Fourth of July.

 

Posted by: Chris Poh, Publisher

 

A ghostly tale from behind the walls

With all of the talk on this blog in recent weeks about ghosts and hauntings, I thought I would relay to you one of my own paranormal experiences.  It took place in a town we have talked about quite a bit, in a building whose sad story has already been told on the American Public House Review.  It was my first trip inside the Carbon County Jail in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania.

Now let me begin by saying that I am not a self proclaimed medium.  I am not at all sensitive to so-called spirit activity.  I have never once walked into a place and felt a “presence” and I am somewhat suspicious of those who do.  And to the credit of the people giving us a tour of this historic site, there wasn’t really much talk of ghosts and haunting.  This was instead mostly an important local history lesson, and a compelling one.  Outside of the famous handprint on the wall, very little was said about the supernatural. 

The jail is a fascinating place.  It does have an amazingly macabre feel right down to the architecture and simple details.  But as we toured through the main part of the jail, nothing seemed at all disturbing to me outside the incredibly disturbing details of what happened within these thick walls.  Then we made our way downstairs into the basement or the “dungeon” as they used to call it.  This was where people were kept in an incredibly harsh solitary confinement.   As we descended the staircase, the air began to feel heavier to me.

I was at the end of the line, lagging behind as usually happens to me on these types of tours.  I always end up reading or looking at something for too long.  So I hurried to catch up.  As I moved down the stairs, I could feel my nerves building, though I was not at all aware of why.  I could hear the tour guide speaking about the dungeon, but didn’t comprehend much of it at all.  As I crossed into the dungeon a feeling of fear hit me.  I looked around the place, as the group listened in very dim lighting to tales of human suffering.  For a brief moment, in a cell behind the tour group to my left, I thought I saw a man, mostly cast in shadow, kneeling on the ground. There was no doubt it was a man, but I couldn’t make out a face.  I knew it was not a fellow tourist.  But who was it? 

Within an instant, I flinched to my right, putting my hand to my face as if to block something or someone from hitting me.  But nothing was there.  For some unforeseen reason, I felt as if I had to guard my face from an assault.  Now I was just downright intimidated.  Tour or no tour, I was getting out of there.

I walked quickly out of the dungeon and back up the stairs.  I could hear the tour guide asking my friends if there was a problem, but I was not going back no matter what.  As soon as I made it back up the stairs, the feelings stopped.  And then I went through all the ways I could think of to rationalize the experience.  Was that just a shadow reflecting on the wall in the cell?  Was I feeling some kind of claustrophobia down there?  Was that just a bug I saw out of the corner of my right eye?  I had no idea.  All I did know was that it was time for a drink…

by Dave McBride

Tunes and Taverns

 According to historian Peter Thompson in his book Rum, Punch and Revolution: Taverngoing and Public Life in Eighteenth Century Philadelphia, toasting and singing were means of drawing together people from disparate backgrounds. It is only fitting that both traditions continue to flourish at The Washington House, where legend states that at this location The Liberty Bell  and its protectors stayed overnight in 1777 during their flight from the British Army.Today the property is not only the site of a splendid 19th century tavern and restaurant; but adjacent to this historic structure is the newly renovated Sellersville Theater.

 In the next issue of American Public House Review our correspondents will raise a glass or two at the bar while some of the best musicians in America raise their voices next door.  

Join us for a nightcap after the final curtain call. 

Posted by: Chris Poh, Publisher

TAPS in Nevada

The many blessings of my life have included a handful of sunrises over the Washoe Mountains. In a couple of weeks my assignment for American Public House Review will take me back to those foothills of the Sierras. 

It seems the team from The Atlantic Paranormal Society and myself appear to have similar tastes in taverns when it comes to looking for spirits – first at The Cashtown Inn and now we will cross paths once more at The Old Washoe Club in Virginia City, Nevada. The difference being their spirits are composed of orbs and ectoplasm and mine are made up of various grapes and grains. No matter which form of spirits I encounter at this grand old saloon, It will be an honor raising a glass at the same bar where Ulysses S. Grant, Phil Sheridan and Mark Twain were known to have hoisted a few.

From Virginia City we will head south to visit one of my personal favorite watering holes at Nevada’s oldest hostelry, The Gold Hill Hotel. And of course no trip to this piece of western expanse would be complete without a stopover at the much celebrated Genoa Bar. 

     

 

I look forward to sharing this journey in the June Issue of

American Public House Review.

Posted by: Chris Poh, Publisher                                                 

Landing in New Castle

[By the light from of an old gas lamp, located along the strand, we guided our sturdy craft into the shallows off New Castle, Delaware. 

 

Well, truth be told – we came by way of Interstate 95 in my fairly sturdy, well engineered Hyundai Elantra. But as one walks the cobblestone alleys that lead down to the river, the Atlantic imparts a hint of its presence in this channel north of Delaware Bay. A bit of salt on the tongue and a touch of brine in the nostrils helps to conjure up images of the Swedish, Dutch and English sailing ships that once plied these waters. 

 Ed Petersen, the Creative of Director of American Public House Review, and I both agree that New Castle rivals Williamsburg, Virginia as one of the best preserved and finest examples of colonial life in America. For that reason we wanted to feature the town and its pubs in an upcoming edition of the magazine. 

So we took up afternoon residence at the aforementioned public houses and proceeded to acquaint ourselves with local lore, colonial culture and a few indigenous ales.

We look forward to sharing this journey soon!  

Posted by: Chris Poh, Publisher American Public House Review  

 

Triumph, Tracks and Taverns

  For those readers of American Public House Review that are wondering about the whereabouts of the April issue – let us assure you that we have not been derailed or sidetracked. But it did come to our attention that the bar car had taken on so many passengers that in order to continue our journey we would need to replace our aging equipment with more powerful rolling stock.

To that end our editorial and technical staff have spent countless hours in the roundhouse putting the finishing touches on our new engine.  

 

 So before I overextend my use of metaphor and analogies, let me take this tme to inform our readers that “Tracks and Taverns” will be one of several new features in American Public House Review. Articles contained within that heading will explore those unique pubs that  have been influenced by America’s rich relationship with riding the rails.

Our first whistle stop will be Triumph Brewing Company In New Hope, Pennsyvania. This wonderful brew Pub sits alongside the main station of the historic New Hope and Ivyland Railroad.

 Take the ride by signing up for your free subscription at American Public House Review.

Posted by: Chris Poh, Publisher

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Griswold Inn in Essex, CT brings you back to a better time

The Griswold Inn located in Essex, CT is one of those places that make you feel like you’ve crossed back in time about 200 years when you walk through its doors.  It is dripping with history and some of the details that adorn every corner of this tavern make you stop in your tracks and admire them.  Like this sign below…

I found it strange that only these two groups of people need to report to the captain of the vessel.  Are these truly the only folks he should be concerned about?  Ahh, how I long for the good old days when homeland security meant keeping track of gamblers and “fancy women”…

Click here to read our article from the Griswold.  It is a captivating pub situated within a gorgeous and historic New England town.