Est. 1756 · National Register of Historic Places · Revolutionary War Field Hospital · Colonial New Jersey History · Gloucester Township Founding Site
Gabreil Daveis built the tavern that bears his name in 1756, near the Big Timber Creek in what was then Camden County, New Jersey — part of the network of routes and waterways that connected inland farms and forests to the Philadelphia market. The structure was designed to house boatmen who used the creek to ship lumber and other goods southward. Its location on the Great Irish Roade made it a natural stopping point for travelers moving east and west.
From 1757 to 1770, the tavern served as the primary site for elections and town meetings in the early days of Gloucester Township, making it both a commercial stopping point and a civic institution.
The tavern's license was not renewed after the death of Sarah Daveis, widow of Gabreil, in 1769. From that point, the building became home to some of the township's most prominent Revolutionary War-era figures. During the war itself, the structure was designated a field hospital by General George Washington — a function attested by blood stains that remain visible in the attic today.
The building passed through several hands over the following two centuries. William Schuck, its last private owner, died in 1976 and left the tavern to Gloucester Township for $1.00, on the condition that the municipality establish a historical society, open the house for public tours, and allow him to be buried on the premises. Schuck is interred there. The township accepted those conditions, and the building has operated as a public museum ever since.
The tavern was registered with New Jersey's Historic Preservation Office in 1973 and added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 14, 1977.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabreil_Daveis_Tavern_House
- https://patch.com/new-jersey/gloucestertownship/spooky-gloucester-twp-gabreil-daveis-tavern-haunted
- https://www.2patravelinggirls.com/post/gabriel-daveis-tavern-glendora-nj
Phantom soundsPhantom footstepsLights flickering
The paranormal tradition at Gabriel Davies Tavern draws directly from its documented use as a Revolutionary War field hospital. The attic retains bloodstains from that period, visible enough to be noted in regional historical accounts. Wounded soldiers passed through this building; some did not leave.
Reported phenomena at the tavern include sounds described as people suffering — audible in spaces where no one is present — lights visible in windows after the building's closing hours, and footsteps on the stairs. These accounts derive from regional paranormal sources and have not been independently documented in newspaper archives or formal investigation records.
The building's configuration — small, original-furnishings intact, relatively unchanged since the 18th century — creates an environment that paranormal investigators have noted as concentrated in its historical residue. William Schuck, who is buried on the grounds per his 1976 bequest, adds a layer of recent human presence to a site otherwise frozen in the colonial period.
The tavern's association with General Washington and the Revolutionary War effort gives it a historical weight that distinguishes it from many similarly sized colonial structures.
Notable Entities
William Schuck
