1730 Stone Building Haunted by a Ghost Named Penelope
544 York Rd, Warminster, PA 18974
Research updated May 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Bar and grill pricing.
Access
Limited Access
Historic stone building from 1730 with original floors and stairs
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1730 · Colonial Pennsylvania · Bucks County History
The original stone section of the building at 544 York Road is documented as one of the oldest structures in Warminster Township, constructed in 1730 when its owner petitioned local authorities for the right 'to keep a house of entertainment for travelers and their horses' — the colonial-era equivalent of a tavern license.
For much of its history the building operated as the Warminster Hotel, a designation that persisted through multiple ownership changes. Most recently it was known as Mike's Bar and Grill before operating briefly as Mike's York Street Bar and Grill (a common misnomer — the road is York Road, not York Street). The building closed for approximately a year and reopened in late 2023 under new ownership, with the establishment renamed Mike's York Road Tavern.
The location note in the pipeline data references 'formerly the Warminster Inn,' though historical records refer to it as the Warminster Hotel.
Sources
The ghost of Penelope has been attached to 544 York Road for as long as anyone in the area can clearly remember. The legend places her death in 1791 — described as a murder by rape — and associates her specifically with the building's attic. Accounts say that at midnight on certain occasions, the lights in the attic go out and a presence circles the building.
The story has not been independently documented in newspaper archives or court records, and no historical verification of a Penelope connected to this address in 1791 was located in web research. It fits the pattern of colonial-era victim-ghost folklore common to Bucks County, where a building's age and multiple ownership changes create space for stories to accumulate.
Staff at the current incarnation of the bar have acknowledged the building's haunted reputation. The attic where Penelope is said to dwell is not accessible to patrons.
Drink and eat in what is considered one of the oldest stone buildings in Warminster Township, a structure petitioned in 1730 to 'keep a house of entertainment for travelers and their horses.' The ghost of Penelope, whose legend places her death in 1791, is said to haunt the attic directly above the bar.
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