Stone tavern and restaurant on the 1773 site of Revolutionary-era hero Alexander Bryan's log inn, with a much-told 'Lady in Green' apparition named Beatrice.
123 Maple Avenue, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Mid-range American tavern menu; bar service for adults 21+.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Stone-house interior with some uneven floors; ground-floor dining is accessible.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1825 · Revolutionary War Intelligence Site · First Permanent Residence in Saratoga Springs · Battle of Saratoga Connection · Saratoga Springs Historic District
The Olde Bryan Inn stands on a bluff above High Rock Spring, one of the mineral springs that drew the first European settlers to what became Saratoga Springs. The site's first structure was a log cabin built by Dirck Schoughten of Waterford in 1773. In 1787, Revolutionary War intelligence agent Alexander Bryan purchased the property and operated it as a tavern and inn alongside a blacksmith shop he built across the road.
Alexander Bryan is generally recognized as the first permanent resident of Saratoga Springs. He had previously operated an inn near Waterford from which he gathered intelligence on the movements of British General John Burgoyne, intelligence that historians credit with contributing to the American victory at the Battles of Saratoga in 1777. Historian John Bakeless wrote that 'it is possible…that Alexander Bryan was the man who really won the American Revolution.'
The current stone house was built in 1825 by John Bryan, Alexander's son, on the site of his father's tavern. The building remained in the Bryan family as a single-family residence until the early 1900s, then served as a laundry facility. In 1979, Dave Powers and Joe Wilkinson purchased the property with the intent of restoring it as an inn; Steve Sullivan joined the partnership in 1981 and the Olde Bryan Inn opened as a restaurant.
The building is a contributing structure to the Saratoga Springs historic district and is included on the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce's Haunted Hotspots itinerary as well as the Haunted History Trail of New York State self-guided tour.
Sources
The Olde Bryan Inn's signature ghost story centers on 'The Lady in Green' or 'Beatrice.' Per the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce's Haunted Hotspots guide, she is described as a past resident of the stone house whose green Victorian gown was reportedly found in the attic; she is most often seen on the staircase and in the ladies' room. A near-identical 'Beatrice / Lady in Green' tradition is also attached to the nearby Canfield Casino, and the two sites' lore overlap in regional ghost-tour narratives.
The Daily Gazette's reporting on the inn lists additional figures: a horse and rider, an old woman seen briefly in a mirror, and a soldier in a red uniform — read by some as a British soldier from the American Revolution, consistent with the property's tavern-era history. A mischievous presence is described in some accounts as pushing up the mattress from under a bed.
The Olde Bryan Inn is one of the stops on the Saratoga County Chamber's self-guided haunted history tour and is featured on the Haunted History Trail of New York State Saratoga itinerary. Staff have generally framed the reports as friendly rather than threatening, and the inn does not host formal paranormal investigations.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
American tavern fare served in the 1825 stone house, with the ladies' room and staircase being the most-reported locations for paranormal accounts. Reservations recommended on summer racing-season weekends.
View the 1825 stone house from the High Rock Spring side. The site has been continuously occupied since 1773, when the original log tavern was built by Revolutionary intelligence agent Alexander Bryan.
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