Formerly: Bonnet's Tavern · Old Forks Inn
Bedford, Pennsylvania · Founded 1779 · Building: circa 1762–1763
A Bedford inn and tavern in a circa-1762–63 stone building, known for its 1794 Whiskey Rebellion Liberty Pole gathering.
Jean Bonnet Tavern occupies a stone building that its own history dates to around 1762, while another historical account places the large stone structure in 1763 after Robert Callender acquired the land. Jean Bonnet and his wife Dorothy purchased the property in 1779 and were licensed to operate a public house. In 1794, protesting farmers gathered at the tavern and raised a Liberty Pole against the federal whiskey excise tax, giving the property a lasting place in the history of the Whiskey Rebellion.
The earliest official property history cited by the tavern says Hans Ireland transferred a 690-acre tract to trader Robert Callender in this year.
Source: Jean Bonnet Tavern, "History"; TheBurg, "History of Hospitality: Jean Bonnet Tavern has greeted visitors since colonial times," May 28, 2021
A historical summary reports that the large stone structure on the property was built after Callender's 1762 acquisition; the tavern itself more broadly dates the building to around 1762.
Source: Jean Bonnet Tavern overview, historical summary; Jean Bonnet Tavern, "History"
Jean (John) Bonnet and his wife Dorothy purchased the property and were issued a license to operate a public house shortly afterward.
Source: Jean Bonnet Tavern, "History"; TheBurg, "History of Hospitality: Jean Bonnet Tavern has greeted visitors since colonial times," May 28, 2021
During the Whiskey Rebellion, western Pennsylvania farmers gathered at Bonnet's Tavern and raised a Liberty Pole to protest the federal excise tax on whiskey.
Source: Jean Bonnet Tavern, "History"; TheBurg, "History of Hospitality: Jean Bonnet Tavern has greeted visitors since colonial times," May 28, 2021; Explore PA History, "Bonnet Tavern Historical Marker"
George Washington established his headquarters at the nearby David Espy House in Bedford while troops travelling toward Pittsburgh camped outside town at Jean Bonnet Tavern.
Source: TheBurg, "History of Hospitality: Jean Bonnet Tavern has greeted visitors since colonial times," May 28, 2021
The tavern's own history says the Enyeart family purchased Jean Bonnet Tavern and that stories of hauntings began reaching the public during their ownership.
Source: Jean Bonnet Tavern, "History"
Jean Bonnet Tavern's own history says the property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places; the exact listing date and reference number require National Park Service verification.
Source: Jean Bonnet Tavern, "History"
Regional reporting says Brandon Callihan, who had previously worked at Jean Bonnet Tavern, assumed ownership and operating responsibility.
Source: TheBurg, "History of Hospitality: Jean Bonnet Tavern has greeted visitors since colonial times," May 28, 2021
Jean Bonnet Tavern's official site and Bedford County Visitors Bureau listed active lunch and dinner service Monday through Saturday, with Sunday closure.
Source: Jean Bonnet Tavern, "About," accessed August 2026; Bedford County Visitors Bureau, "Jean Bonnet Tavern," March 6, 2026
Every claim gets rated. A business's own website can never earn "documented."
The tavern's history, regional reporting, and Pennsylvania historical-marker material agree that protesting farmers gathered at Bonnet's Tavern in 1794 and raised a Liberty Pole in opposition to the federal whiskey excise tax. The tavern was an important local gathering point within the broader Whiskey Rebellion, though it should not be described as the rebellion's central headquarters.
The strongest reviewed regional history says Washington established his Bedford headquarters at the nearby David Espy House. It says troops camped outside town at Jean Bonnet Tavern on their way toward Pittsburgh, but does not say Washington lodged at the tavern.
The tavern’s own history dates the building to around 1762, and a historical summary says Robert Callender acquired the property in 1762 and the large stone structure was built in 1763. The exact construction year and earliest use require confirmation through a National Register nomination, deed chain, architectural study, or other primary records.
Jean Bonnet Tavern has a public haunted reputation. Its own history says haunting stories began reaching the public during the Enyeart family's ownership after 1957, and later haunted-place sources repeat stories of apparitions and unexplained events. Those accounts document folklore and reputation, not proof of ghosts, hangings, buried remains, or any specific paranormal cause.
TheBurg reported that Callihan assumed ownership in June 2017 after working at the tavern, and the current official site identifies him as the innkeeper. This review did not inspect Pennsylvania business filings, liquor-license records, or property deeds to confirm his exact legal ownership status.
Everything below has been reported by two or more independent sources — this is an informational record of what's said about this place, not a verified account of paranormal activity. Still Open America doesn't certify hauntings as real.
Several accounts describe a male figure in frontier or colonial clothing sitting at the bar after closing, drinking, watching the room, or appearing near the piano. The figure is also described as walking through the tavern or dining area before disappearing.
Guests and employees have repeatedly reported doors opening or closing without anyone touching them, along with objects such as glasses, place settings, personal belongings, paper towels, and furniture moving unexpectedly. Some stories also describe flickering lights and other unexplained disturbances.
Multiple accounts describe guests and staff feeling an unseen presence, experiencing light touches, hearing footsteps in empty areas, and encountering abrupt cold spots. These reports are generally presented as a broad pattern of activity rather than being tied to a single named figure.
Several retellings describe a young girl in a white dress seen in the upstairs rooms or hallways. Accounts also associate the upper floor with childlike sounds, including a baby crying or a child bouncing a ball in an otherwise empty room.
Reports from guest rooms and the second floor describe the sound of a woman walking in heels, humming, or moving in a long skirt. Some accounts also describe a woman in period clothing or a shawl appearing in rooms or hallways.
Room 3 is associated with a recurring story of a rocking chair that begins moving at night. Guests are also said to find coats, purses, or other items placed on the chair moved onto the floor by morning.
The tavern's ghost lore attributes some reported activity to alleged executions and a skeleton said to have been discovered beneath the floor during renovation. Retellings describe the remains as those of a man with a broken neck and connect him to hanging stories at the property.
No primary coroner, archaeological, court, execution, or contemporary newspaper record was located to confirm alleged hangings at the building or the claimed discovery and identity of human remains beneath its floor.
Jean Bonnet built the original stone tavern in 1762.
Robert Callender acquired the property in 1762, and the large stone structure is reported as built in 1763 or dating to around 1762. Jean Bonnet and his wife Dorothy purchased the property in 1779 and opened/operated it as a licensed public house shortly afterward.
Source: Jean Bonnet Tavern, "History"; TheBurg, "History of Hospitality: Jean Bonnet Tavern has greeted visitors since colonial times," May 28, 2021; Jean Bonnet Tavern historical summary
George Washington lodged at Jean Bonnet Tavern during the 1794 Whiskey Rebellion campaign.
The strongest regional history reviewed places Washington's headquarters at the nearby David Espy House in Bedford. It says federal troops camped outside town at Jean Bonnet Tavern while travelling toward Pittsburgh.
Source: TheBurg, "History of Hospitality: Jean Bonnet Tavern has greeted visitors since colonial times," May 28, 2021
Jean Bonnet Tavern was the headquarters of Whiskey Rebellion insurgents in October 1794.
Farmers gathered at the tavern and raised a Liberty Pole in 1794 to protest the federal whiskey tax. The evidence supports a locally important gathering, not a verified rebellion headquarters or a precisely dated October command center.
Source: Jean Bonnet Tavern, "History"; Explore PA History, "Bonnet Tavern Historical Marker"
Human remains found beneath Jean Bonnet Tavern's cellar prove the building is haunted.
Jean Bonnet Tavern has a documented public haunted reputation, but this review did not locate primary coroner, archaeological, court, newspaper, or preservation records establishing the alleged skeletal-remains discovery, earlier hangings, or any paranormal conclusion.
Source: Jean Bonnet Tavern, "History"; Clio, "Jean Bonnet Tavern"; research review, August 31, 2026
Jean Bonnet Tavern has remained relevant because its crossroads setting and stone-built character allow visitors to encounter a real frontier-era property rather than a recreated one. The building has passed through many private owners, served as an inn, tavern, restaurant, and gathering place, and now continues to operate as a historic Lincoln Highway destination. Its strongest historical draw is the documented Whiskey Rebellion connection, while its ghost stories remain a separate layer of later local folklore.
Jean Bonnet Tavern occupies a Bedford stone building dating to around 1762–1763, while the Jean Bonnet tavern identity began in 1779 when Jean Bonnet and his wife Dorothy bought the property and received a public-house license. In 1794, farmers gathered there and raised a Liberty Pole against the federal whiskey tax during the Whiskey Rebellion. The tavern remains an operating restaurant and historic Lincoln Highway destination.
No evidence reviewed here establishes Jean Bonnet Tavern as Pennsylvania's oldest tavern. Its building dates to around 1762–1763 and its licensed Jean Bonnet tavern identity to 1779, making it an important frontier-era property. A statewide oldest-tavern title would require a direct comparison of older taverns, public-house licenses, business identities, surviving buildings, relocations, and operating interruptions.
Jean Bonnet Tavern's own history says ghost stories began reaching the public after the Enyeart family purchased the property in 1957. This review did not locate an earlier dated newspaper, book, police record, coroner report, or archival source establishing when any particular haunting story began. Later haunted-place listings document the reputation, not the alleged events as proven history.
In 1794, western Pennsylvania farmers gathered at Jean Bonnet Tavern and raised a Liberty Pole to protest the new federal excise tax on whiskey. The tavern was one local site in the wider Whiskey Rebellion. When President George Washington moved to suppress the revolt, regional history places his headquarters at the nearby David Espy House and says troops camped outside Bedford at Jean Bonnet Tavern.
The reviewed historical account does not support a claim that George Washington stayed at Jean Bonnet Tavern. It says Washington set up headquarters at the nearby David Espy House in Bedford during the 1794 Whiskey Rebellion campaign. Federal troops camped at or near Jean Bonnet Tavern while travelling toward Pittsburgh, which is different from a documented personal stay by Washington.
Yes. Jean Bonnet Tavern's official site and Bedford County Visitors Bureau list it as open for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday at 6048 Lincoln Highway near Bedford, Pennsylvania. The business is closed on Sundays and on certain holidays, so visitors should confirm current tavern, dining, and overnight-lodging availability before traveling.
6048 Lincoln Highway, Bedford, PA 15522
(814) 623-2250
Jean Bonnet Tavern is at the junction area of the historic Lincoln Highway/U.S. Route 30 and Pennsylvania Route 31 near Bedford. The tavern lists lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday and is closed Sunday; confirm current dining, tavern, lodging, reservations, and holiday hours before visiting.