Chowning's Tavern
Josiah Chowning opened this alehouse in 1766, and Colonial Williamsburg reconstructed it in 1941 as a working tavern. It is one of the district's most actively reported haunts. The most repeated sighting is a young girl with long, tangled black hair and an indistinct or featureless face who appears in the dining rooms before vanishing toward the kitchen. Paranormal investigators have recorded numerous electronic voice phenomena inside. Lore also holds that at least three soldiers died in drunken brawls during the Civil War and were hastily buried in the garden behind the tavern; staff report sounds of struggle, slamming, and furniture found mysteriously moved or damaged, supposedly the dead men still fighting. Located on Duke of Gloucester Street beside its garden bar, Chowning's is a regular stop on Williamsburg ghost tours and remains an operating restaurant.
📍 109 E Duke of Gloucester St, Williamsburg, VA 23185, Williamsburg, VA · Get directions