General Wayne Inn

General Wayne Inn
Location Merion, Pennsylvania
Coordinates 40°0′33″N 75°15′13″W / 40.00917°N 75.25361°WCoordinates: 40°0′33″N 75°15′13″W / 40.00917°N 75.25361°W
Built 1704
Architect Unknown
Architectural style No Style Listed
Governing body Private
NRHP Reference # 76001655[1]
Added to NRHP January 1, 1976

The General Wayne Inn located at 625 Montgomery Ave[2] in Merion, Pennsylvania is a tavern on the National Register of Historic Places since 1976. Established in 1704, it was previously named the William Penn Inn, Wayside Inn, Tunis Ordinary, and Streepers Tavern before being renamed in 1793 in honor of General "Mad" Anthony Wayne who had once stayed there.

There is a legend that the building is haunted by numerous ghosts, including a handful of Hessian soldiers. Edgar Allan Poe was a frequent visitor of the inn and carved his initials in one of the windowsills in 1843.

Jim Webb, one of the more recent owners of the inn, was found murdered there in his office in 1996, a year after having purchased the business. He had been shot by his business partner, Guy Sileo, who killed Webb for life insurance money, in order to prevent him from shutting down the inn, and ending their partnership. Upon conviction Sileo was sentenced to life in prison. Felicia Moyse, a 20-year-old assistant chef at the inn (and witness in the Jim Webb murder), committed suicide on February 22, 1997. Her suicide was never solved but it is believed that as she was used as an alibi in Jim Webb's murder, and she may have realized it and been unable to live with it.[3]

Recently it has been purchased by Chabad of the Main Line, and has been converted into a synagogue and Center For Jewish Life.[2]

Famous people

Famous people who visited here include:

References

Sources

Notes

  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2007-01-23.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "General Wayne Inn". Chabad-Lubavitch of The Main Line.
  3. ↑ "General Wayne Inn". Famous Haunted Houses and Places. Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained.