08/22/2026
At the corner of South Waterford and West Front Streets in Marietta, Pennsylvania, stands a tavern that’s been pouring pints and collecting ghost stories for over 210 years. Shank's Tavern—Lancaster County’s oldest continuously operated bar—began life in 1814 as The Compass and the Square, opened by retired riverboat captain James Stackhouse.
But Shank’s is more than just a historic watering hole. It’s a place where the past refuses to stay quiet.
Once a frontier trading post along the Susquehanna River, Marietta thrived with canal traffic, pig iron furnaces, and riverboat commerce. Through the years, the tavern changed names and owners—eventually becoming Shank’s Tavern in 1930. During Prohibition, it reportedly operated as a speakeasy, with locals always one step ahead of the revenuers.
Inside, much of the original charm remains: worn wooden floors, vintage wainscoting, and a hearth that’s heard generations of laughter—and perhaps a few whispers from the other side.
Because Shank’s is haunted. 👻
Staff and patrons alike speak of the Lady in Black. She’s been spotted more than once, standing silently in the second-story window of Shank’s Tavern, gazing down at the street below.
Others have seen her hovering at the top of the stairs or near the ladies’ room—always still, always watching.
Locals believe she’s the ghost of Barb Hauer, a strong-willed woman who ran the tavern between 1865 and 1885. In a time when few women held such roles—especially in rough-and-tumble river towns—Barb made her mark. Some say she never truly left.
Paranormal investigators have come searching, drawn by the same question: Who is the woman in the black dress? She never arrives. She’s just…there.
Whether she’s a silent sentinel of the past or a restless spirit unwilling to let go, one thing’s for sure—if you visit Shank’s Tavern, glance up at that second-floor window. You might find someone looking back. Click here to read more. https://unchartedlancaster.com/tales-from-the-taproom-the-spectral-legacy-of-shanks-tavern/
