1747 colonial tavern at Church Circle, now a restaurant, tearoom, and inn, said to be haunted by the widow Mary Reynolds whose 2004 paranormal investigation suggested as many as five spirits remain.
7 Church Cir, Annapolis, MD 21401
Age
All Ages dining; 21+ at the pub bar
Cost
$$
Operates as a restaurant, tearoom, and pub with seven guest rooms upstairs. Typical Annapolis casual-dining pricing.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Ground-floor dining accessible; upper-floor inn rooms reached by historic stairs.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1747 · 1747 colonial tavern at Church Circle · Owned by William Reynolds and his widow Mary Reynolds (1747-1785) · Contributing property to Colonial Annapolis National Historic Landmark District · Continuous tavern use since 1984 restoration
Reynolds Tavern was constructed in 1747 by William Reynolds, a hatter and dry-goods merchant who leased the corner lot at Church Circle from St. Anne's Parish. Reynolds initially called the establishment the Beaver and Lac'd Hat and ran it as a combined tavern, hat shop, and gathering place. The building's central location at Church Circle made it a regular meeting site for the Corporation of the City of Annapolis and the Mayor's Court.
Upon William Reynolds's death in 1777, ownership of the tavern passed to his widow Mary, who continued to operate the establishment until her own death in 1785. Their daughter Margaret took over the management of the tavern after Mary's death. The Reynolds family connection to the property gives the building its current name.
The building passed through multiple uses across the 19th and 20th centuries, including service as a bank branch. In 1984 it was returned to use as a tavern, and following a 2002 purchase and restoration by Jill and Andrew Petit it has operated as a restaurant, tearoom, pub, and inn. Today the building offers seven guest rooms upstairs, a tearoom and dining room on the main floor, and a pub in the cellar.
The property is owned by Historic Annapolis and operated under lease, preserving its colonial fabric while allowing continuous commercial use. It is a contributing property in the Colonial Annapolis Historic District National Historic Landmark.
Sources
According to the Annapolis Ghosts tour and the Maryland Haunted Houses listing for Reynolds Tavern, ownership transitions have repeatedly been associated with reported activity at the building. The most cited episode involves owners Jill and Andrew Petit, who purchased the property in 2002 and reported during the subsequent renovation that a power drill activated and moved on its own, that food dishes floated off tables onto the floor, that glassware exploded near no one, and that singing was audible from an upstairs bedroom when the building was otherwise empty. These owner-reported accounts appear in regional ghost-tourism sources and the Baltimore Sun's 2023 ghost-story feature.
In 2004, the Maryland Ghost and Spirit Society conducted an on-site paranormal investigation and concluded that as many as five spirits may inhabit the building. The investigators' lead candidate was Mary Reynolds, who inherited the tavern from her husband in 1777 and operated it until her own death in 1785; Mary's name remains on one of the dining rooms today.
A recurring claim in the tavern's lore is that the resident spirits intervene in modern operations: locking dishonest employees in the bathroom, spilling drinks on overserved patrons, and rearranging silverware overnight. These accounts are sourced to ownership and staff interviews carried in Annapolis Ghosts and Southern Spirit Guide write-ups and have not been independently verified.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
Eat lunch, afternoon tea, or dinner in a colonial-era building leased by hatter William Reynolds from St. Anne's Parish in 1747 and originally named the Beaver and Lac'd Hat. The Mary Reynolds Room — named for William's widow, who inherited the tavern in 1777 — is one of the historic dining rooms. Staff associate the room with reports of object movement and singing from above.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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