The Red Rose Inn from Loop Net
The Red Rose Inn was built in 1740 in what's now West Grove, Chester County, on an Indian trail used by both the Lenni-Lenape and the settlers (now the Baltimore Pike) in an area known as "No Man's Land." The property was part of William Penn's grant. It grew rapidly, and many of its' buildings still date back to 1827 or before.
The Red Rose's basement bar area has been victimized by poltergeist activity such as objects being moved, electronics being played with, and a shattered mirror, blamed on Indian Joe (see below). The customers and staff have seen several older spirits there, too, mostly women but also one particularly noticeable old man. He's hard to miss in his loud plaid jacket. They're shy spooks, and disappear in a flash when approached.
The headliner spirits are Emily and Joe. Emily is a young girl that Joe, a Native American, was accused of killing. The locals hung him, only to discover he was innocent. Oooops! They found the real killer wandering in the woods, drunk.
They buried poor Joe in the cellar wall, wrapped in a white sheet, so that there wouldn't be a grave outside to remind them of their rush to judgement. His spirit still inhabits the Inn, roaming the rooms looking for a way out.
But Emily is the most visible ghost. She's been seen on the steps and the main floor, wearing a fancy dress and carrying a doll, still living out her childhood that was so despicably ended.
There's also one other quirk about the Inn. It's called the Red Rose because of its' rental agreement with the original Penn family, which came about when William Penn spent a night there and paid his tab with a single red rose. The annual rent is, to this day, is one red rose, and the deal dates back to the original deed.
This old rite went dormant for awhile, but was revived in 1937. Almost every year since, a direct descendant of Penn receives a rose from the Inn's owners in a public ceremony in Philadelphia on the Saturday after Labor Day.
The bad news is that last we looked, the building was up for sale. The good news is that if you're looking for an inn with a history...
13 comments:
can we still go and stay a night there?
Its closed and boarded up now
Used to go there from Chadds Ford, PA up until we moved away. The last visit was probably in 1998 or early 1999.
I went in yesturday
How many ghosts are there , my three year old said he saw three
I never believed in ghosts until I worked there as a waitress. When things moved or disappeared we didn't really talk about it cause it was the norm. I felt a cold spirit so strongly in the main stairs that I ran away once.
I''l have to check this out. I never knew this and I pass the Inn many times a day. Funny what is right inder your nose and you don't even know it.
I used to go to the Red Rose Inn for dinners on special occasions. I have never seen little Emily, Joe, or the man in the plaid jacket, but once I did see a woman probably in her 20s-30s wearing a white dress and a large hat from in the style of the late 1800s. I had walked by the stair case and then looked at the top to see her staring at me and then turn and walk away. I have never been afraid of ghosts but rather quite interested. I really hope that what ever renovations take place there will still keep intact the historical nature and beauty of the building.
My mom lives across the street. N they first tore down the tree where Indian joe was hung. Then they tore everything down but the original building cause its historical landmark. They did this this past summer cause apparently money was more important than history. A lot of locals r upset for what they did. N truth b told that place was really creepy at night. I'm gonna miss that place.
Currently they are renovating the Red Rose because it is now considered a historical landmark. Since the building was in direpair they have torn down the additons and porch, leaving the original brick building that dates back to 1740. Renovations are still happening and will continue through this summer
Kinda scary cause i live in Oxford and I go to Jennersvile to the YMCA and sometimes at the stores .
I used to work there in the seventies, and lots of things would be moved around without anyone in the room, doors to cabinets would open on there own and there was a strange cold feeling, like someone was watching. Currently, the sad state of the building, with loss of all things culturally significant to the history of the place, has been removed for the effort of a misguided supervisor of the township to create a community center and information tourism board to direct all these people to different culturally and historical attractions in the West Grove/Jennersville area. All of the attachments to the Red Rose Inn were of historic significance, there was an attached carriage house, a wrap around porch, an extension to the rear of the building which used to house the kitchen area, what they stripped the place down to is not even the original building, it was originally made from wood and probably sat closer to the road than the brick building that still stands now. Meaning stripping it down to its bare bones defied the logic of trying to save the place. The problem was when Pen township took control of it under imminent domain, they fail;d for many years to maintain the building and its attached structures. I remember many times driving by the 796/Baltimore Pike intersection and seeing the wood on the building peel and splinter away in the natural elements of the outside weather. There were leaks in the windows that were deliberately ignored, over time even portions of the roof leaked and the township knew what was wrong, they wanted to allow it to deteriorate to the point of having no further choice but to tear it all away. Truly a sad end to a wonderful place, with Sunset Park gone, thee was only the Red Rose Inn left to observe the trends in histories past of the local area.
I worked there in the 90's. I can't believe how much they stripped it down. Their website says it's not even an official protected historical site, they say because of all the renovations done over the years by previous owners?? The Red Rose was an amazing place to work as a young teen. It was magical, really. That magic is gone now.
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