Est. 1794 · Contributing structure to Colonial Annapolis Historic District · Associated with Samuel Chase (1769 sublease) · Site of William Faris Crown and Dial silversmith shop · 1794 'Sign of the Green Tree' house of entertainment
The lot at 33 West Street in Annapolis was first developed in the early 18th century. In 1703, English brewer Benjamin Fordham received a charter from Queen Anne and settled in what would become Annapolis; his enterprise occupied land at the West Street corner. Through the colonial period the property was owned by St. Anne's Parish and leased to a succession of merchants and innkeepers, including the hatter William Reynolds (also of Reynolds Tavern across Church Circle).
In 1769, Samuel Chase — Maryland's representative who signed the Declaration of Independence and later served as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court — subleased the building. After Chase's lease, William Faris operated his Crown and Dial clockmaking and silversmithing shop on the premises. By 1794, the building was operating as a 'Sign of the Green Tree' house of entertainment, a category of colonial-era establishment that combined tavern, inn, and entertainment functions.
In December 1989, Bill and Paula Muehlhauser purchased the original Ram's Head Tavern, then a 30-seat operation. The Muehlhausers expanded by acquiring the adjoining West Street Dry Cleaners in 1992 and the adjacent barber shop in 1993, consolidating the West Street block into a single restaurant, brewpub, and music venue. The 200-seat Rams Head On Stage live-music venue opened as a separate ticketed performance space within the expanded property.
The building's 18th-century structural fabric — including beams and interior walls associated with the Sign of the Green Tree period — remains incorporated within the modern restaurant. The Muehlhauser family has continued to operate the property into 2026.
Sources
- https://www.annapolis.com/rams-head/
- https://www.annapolis.com/rams-head-tavern-adds-own-legacy-to-historic-downtown-annapolis/
- https://www.eyeonannapolis.net/2015/01/happy-birthday-rams-head-tavern-2/
- https://www.visitannapolis.org/blog/stories/post/historical-west-street-buildings-a-thumbnail-sketch/
Full-bodied apparitionsObject movementCold spotsDrinks knocked over without touch
The Ram's Head Tavern's ghost lore centers on 'Amy,' described in Annapolis Ghosts and Maryland Haunted Houses material as a young woman — most often given as 16 years old — who lived or worked at the Sign of the Green Tree house of entertainment when it operated at 33 West Street in 1794. One version of the legend, recounted by Annapolis Ghosts, holds that Amy's bed fell through the floor of an upstairs room and that she broke her neck in the fall. A wooden bedpost reported by staff to be the surviving piece of her bed is preserved in the ceiling above the downstairs bar.
A secondary tradition identifies Amy as an 18th-century sex worker associated with the house of entertainment. The various accounts — collected most thoroughly in the Southern Spirit Guide profile of haunted Annapolis taverns — are inconsistent on Amy's biography, and Hauntbound treats her identity as ghost-tour tradition rather than documented history.
Staff and patrons report drinks knocked over without a touch at the bar, silverware rearranged overnight, and full-bodied apparitions of two women — 'Amy' and an older female figure not identified by name. One frequently retold incident describes Amy's name appearing in wet cement during renovation work, scaring off the construction crew. The Eastern Entities paranormal team and the Maryland Ghost and Spirit Society have both visited the building.
Ram's Head appears on the standard Annapolis Ghosts walking-tour itinerary and the US Ghost Adventures haunted pub crawl.
Notable Entities
AmyAn older female figure
Media Appearances
- Eastern Entities paranormal investigation
- Maryland Ghost and Spirit Society investigation
