Steampunk Granny does History & Ghosts at the Historic Gabreil Daveis Tavern

                                                        

This past Saturday a few fellow investigators and I, met with Marti Haines of the South Jersey Ghost Research Group at a 265 year old Historic Tavern located at the base of 4th Avenue, just off the Black Horse Pike in the township’s Glendora section on New Jersey. Did we find ghosts? Hell yeah!

                                                                     

Our group was greeted by Sharon L. Mickle, president of the Gloucester Township Historic and Scenic Preservation Committee, a 15-member body that manages the property. With her were two lovely ladies who volunteer their time to teach visitors about the history of the building and the grounds. “We are gaining more knowledge about the house and Gabriel Davies, the first owner,” said Sharon Mickle.

                                                                

The building has served many purposes during its 256 year history. Also known as the Hillman Hospital House because George Washington had designated it as so during the Revolutionary War, the tavern at one time housed boatmen who used the Big Timber Creek to ship goods to Philadelphia. The Tavern sits near the creek.

                                                                       

Despite its public use as a tavern, town hall and tax collector's office, the Gabreil Daveis Tavern was used continuously as a home from 1756 to 1956, when its last private owner, William F. Schuck died. The tavern was deeded to Gloucester Township upon Schuck's death. Schuck requested that the township preserve it as an historic site. Today, the tavern and its property occupy 28 acres of open fields, woodlands, and marshland along the northern branch of the Big Timber Creek. The tavern is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and overlooks the creek.

                                                                   

Ghost Investigation

Some of us had our own equipment, but Marti Haines of the Ghost Hunter Store in Burlington brought along several cases full of equipment. The Ghost Hunter Store is the headquarters of the South Jersey Ghost Research Group. We broke up into teams and it wasn't long before we were all busy recording and documenting the highly active (Spirits) encounters.

                                                               

As much as I enjoy a great investigation, the highlight of the night was having Sharon Mickle and her two lovely volunteers help confirm what we were picking up with our equipment. There were several of us in the group that are Empaths. We can pick up the emotions and sometimes the background history of a spirit. Sharon confirmed that what we had obtained from the spirits was in fact documented. I had made contact with the original owner of the land before he sold it to Daveis to build his tavern. Pretty neat, right? Later in the night, Sharon read from a collection of letters, some as old as the tavern. Several of us sat around the kitchen table and listened, as if spellbound, to the daily goings on of the different people who had made that tavern their home.

                                                                 

We even got to hear some old family gossip. It was a great experience, but I need to return to the tavern. I have to get Sharon Mickle to finish reading the letters for me. There was a certain young man who'd taken a job out west as a stagecoach driver and I'm wondering if he ever made it back to see his sweetie or his baby girl. The Gabreil Daveis Tavern does have events scheduled during the year and you can check their Facebook site for the phone number to call: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gabreil-Daveis-Tavern-House/104121246291519

 and if you're interested in learning more about ghosts and how to do a proper and safe investigation then check out The Ghost Hunter Store here: http://theghosthunterstore.com/