1851 Newark Tavern Said to be Cursed by Edgar Allan Poe
108 West Main Street, Newark, DE 19711
Age
21+ in bar area; all ages in dining
Cost
$$
Restaurant and bar; standard menu pricing
Access
Wheelchair OK
Multi-floor historic tavern; ground-floor dining accessible
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1851 · 1747 St. Patrick's Inn predecessor (burned 1847) · 1764 Mason and Dixon surveying headquarters · December 23, 1843 Edgar Allan Poe visit and 'curse' · National Register of Historic Places (1982)
The site at 108 West Main Street in Newark, Delaware has hosted a tavern continuously since 1747, when the St. Patrick's Inn opened. The St. Patrick's Inn served the colonial road between Philadelphia and Baltimore and accommodated George Washington and other prominent travelers. In 1764, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon used the inn as their headquarters while surveying the boundary that became known as the Mason-Dixon Line.
The St. Patrick's Inn burned in 1847. The current Deer Park Tavern was built in 1851 on the same site. The new tavern carried forward the original inn's role as Newark's principal hostelry and gathering place.
On December 23, 1843, between the St. Patrick's Inn era and the Deer Park's construction, Edgar Allan Poe lectured at the Newark Academy and was reputed to be lodged at the older inn. According to local tradition, Poe fell into the mud as he attempted to step down from his carriage at the inn and was so angered that he cursed the building, reportedly saying 'A curse on this place' and adding that 'all who enter shall have to return.' The Deer Park Tavern's current logo is based on Poe's poem 'The Raven,' and the curse is part of the tavern's marketing tradition.
The Deer Park Tavern was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It continues to operate as a Newark restaurant and bar, popular with University of Delaware students and Newark residents.
Sources
The Deer Park Tavern's haunted reputation has two anchors. The first is the Poe curse tradition. Edgar Allan Poe lectured at the Newark Academy on December 23, 1843 and stayed at the St. Patrick's Inn on this site. Local tradition holds that Poe fell into the mud while descending from his carriage and pronounced a curse on the inn, saying 'A curse on this place' and that 'all who enter shall have to return.' The Deer Park Tavern's logo, drawn from Poe's 'The Raven,' acknowledges the tradition.
The second anchor is staff-reported activity in the building itself. The most consistent reports come from wait staff opening or closing the bar. Sounds of footsteps on an upper staircase that has been closed off are described as a near-nightly occurrence by long-term staff. The front doors are also reported to swing open as if someone has entered, with no person visible. No specific named entity is associated with these reports; the Poe curse legend serves as the building's narrative anchor.
Notes regarding the input description: local tradition does NOT support the claim that Poe wrote 'The Raven' at the inn; the poem was first published in January 1845, and the manuscript history is well documented elsewhere. The tradition that slaves were traded on the porch in the 1800s requires further archival research and is not addressed by current authoritative sources cited here.
Notable Entities
Dine at the 1851 Deer Park Tavern on Newark's Main Street, on the site of the 1747 St. Patrick's Inn. The tavern includes Edgar Allan Poe-themed decor and the Raven-inspired logo referring to the 1843 visit during which Poe is said to have cursed the building.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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