HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
+ 1 further entry on record
Established in 1748 as Tunison's Tavern — a Revolutionary War stop for Washington's troops — and claimed by third-generation owners to house three child ghosts and multiple adult spirits backed by EVP evidence.
65 East Main Street, Somerville, NJ 08876
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$
Pub pricing for food and drinks.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Street-level bar and dining area.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1748 · Operating continuously as a tavern and inn since 1748 · Revolutionary War-era waypoint for Continental Army troops · One of the oldest continuously operating hospitality buildings in Somerset County
The building at 65 East Main Street in Somerville, New Jersey, has functioned as a tavern and inn since 1748, making it one of the older continuously operating hospitality establishments in central New Jersey. It opened as Tunison's Tavern, named for its original proprietors, and occupied a position on the main colonial road connecting Philadelphia to New York — a route that saw heavy military traffic during the Revolutionary War.
George Washington's Continental Army moved through the Somerset area repeatedly during the New Jersey campaigns of 1776–1779. Somerville served as a supply and rest point for American forces, and taverns along the main road were natural stopping points for soldiers, officers, and couriers. The historical record places Washington at the nearby Wallace House during the winter of 1778–79; Tunison's Tavern would have been within the extended operational area during that period.
The building passed through numerous ownerships over the following two centuries, operating under various names. By the twentieth century it had become the Hotel Somerset, and McCormick's Pub established itself within the building as the primary hospitality operation. The current owners, described in press accounts as third-generation, have maintained the building and spoken publicly about its paranormal history.
A local history resource (mrlocalhistory.org) has documented the site's 1748 origins and colonial tavern identity, providing context that the current owners use in presenting their establishment's history. The building retains architectural features consistent with eighteenth-century construction, though it has been modified extensively over nearly three centuries of continuous use.
Sources
The paranormal case at the Hotel Somerset is built largely on owner testimony and a documented professional investigation. The third-generation proprietors have spoken publicly about the building's ghosts, identifying a specific profile: three child spirits — two boys and a girl — and several adult presences distributed through the upper floors and basement areas. The children are reported to be playful rather than threatening, making themselves known through displaced objects, running footsteps, and occasional brief visual appearances.
A professional paranormal investigation team conducted a formal session at the property and produced results the owners describe as significant: EVP recordings capturing apparent voices, physical activity witnessed by investigators, and instrument readings they characterized as anomalous. The Yahoo News account published in 2013 quotes the owners and summarizes the investigation team's findings, providing an independent journalistic record of the claims rather than pure owner self-reporting.
The Haunted Society, a paranormal research organization, has also documented investigation findings at the site, corroborating the EVP and physical phenomena claims from a separate source. The child-ghost element is a recurring motif in central New Jersey haunted-pub traditions, and the specific details offered by this venue — three children with distinct perceived genders — are unusual in their specificity, which has drawn attention from regional paranormal research communities (Yahoo News; Haunted Society).
Notable Entities
The Hotel Somerset building dates to 1748 when it opened as Tunison's Tavern. Visitors can dine or drink at McCormick's Pub while taking in the building's colonial-era bones and the owners' well-documented ghost accounts.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
Cranbury, NJ
The Cranbury Inn has operated continuously since at least the 1750s on South Main Street in Cranbury, one of the most intact colonial villages in New Jersey. The building served travelers on the road between New York and Philadelphia, and local tradition holds that the chimney was modified with a concealed compartment used to shelter freedom-seekers during the Underground Railroad era.
Nutley, NJ
The Old Canal Inn was built in 1908 at 2 East Passaic Avenue in Nutley, New Jersey, just steps from the former Morris Canal towpath. Originally operating as JoJo's Tavern under the Skorupski family from 1934, it was renamed the Old Canal Inn in 1948 to honor the canal that once ran through Nutley. The building has been a neighborhood institution for over a century.
Chester, NJ
Zephaniah Drake built the Brick Tavern at 111 Main Street in Chester in 1810 on a site that had served as a stagecoach stop on the colonial-era road connecting Morristown to the Delaware River crossings. Drake's establishment became a fixture of Morris County's agricultural and commercial life, occupying the building continuously as a hospitality venue through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.