The Griswold Inn

One of the oldest continuously operated inns in the United States, the Griswold Inn has hosted sailors, soldiers, and travelers since 1776. The historic tavern retains its colonial charm while harboring spirits from centuries past.

The Griswold Inn opened in 1776 when local resident Sala Griswold established a tavern near the Connecticut River docks to serve shipbuilders constructing the Oliver Cromwell, Connecticut's first warship of the American Revolution. The ship launched on June 13, 1776, and the inn became a gathering place for sailors, politicians, and patriots fueling the revolutionary cause. Richard Hayden expanded the property in 1801, adding what became the first three-story building in the lower Connecticut River Valley. The famous Tap Room, originally a schoolhouse built in 1735, was rolled down Main Street on logs by a team of oxen and attached to the inn that same year. Its original ceiling of crushed clamshell and horsehair plaster survives to this day.

The inn's most dramatic chapter came during the War of 1812. On April 7, 1814, 136 British Royal Marines rowed up the Connecticut River under cover of darkness and captured the village of Pettipauge (now Essex). Lieutenant Lloyd seized the Griswold Inn as British headquarters, reading a proclamation from Captain Coote before his troops burned 27 American ships in the harbor—the largest loss of American shipping until Pearl Harbor. The British occupied the inn, consumed the town's entire supply of rum, and established a tradition of lavish Sunday breakfasts that continues at the inn to this day as the famous Hunt Breakfast.

Nearly 250 years of hosting travelers has left spiritual residue behind. The most frequently reported ghost is Clarence, a young man said to have died at the inn under unclear circumstances. Kate Savage of the Essex Historical Society recalls staff attributing mysterious incidents to him: "Every once in a while, glasses would fall off the table, and I do know that we would attribute that sometimes to the ghost of Clarence. He was the ghost who was often accused of having pushed [glasses] off the table so much that they named a cocktail after him." The Gris honored his mischief by naming a drink in his memory.

Guests also report encountering a spectral sea captain near the Tap Room's central fireplace. Witnesses describe him gazing longingly toward the river as if waiting for a ship that will never return—fitting for an inn that served generations of mariners. Some visitors hear faint music drifting from the Tap Room long after closing time, and footsteps echo through empty hallways. One upstairs guest room reportedly contains a portrait whose eyes appear to follow visitors around the room.

A March 2024 paranormal investigation by Ghosts Be Gone documented additional spirits. The team sensed a female entity immediately upon entering the restaurant: "She was in a beautiful dress and was flitting around showing it off, literally saying 'Look at me!' She was seeking attention." The investigators also detected a shy male spirit who seemed to be her companion, appearing content to watch his partner charm the room. Attempts to guide the spirits "to the light" failed—they remain perfectly happy where they are, continuing their eternal celebration at one of America's oldest taverns.

The Griswold Inn was featured as the "Collinsport Inn" in the 1960s gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, adding another layer to its supernatural reputation. Notable guests over the centuries include Mark Twain, George Washington, Albert Einstein, Katharine Hepburn, and Frank Sinatra. Today the inn offers 34 guest rooms filled with antiques, five distinct dining rooms housing one of America's most important private maritime art collections, and the largest privately held collection of Antonio Jacobsen's maritime paintings. For the owners, the focus remains on history rather than hauntings: "Guests have reported various things, but nothing's ever been verified. We have 250 years of history, who knows what's happened here."