THE STORY
Reported Haunting
The Public House occupies a historic building where staff and patrons have reported paranormal encounters. Witnesses have described apparitions, mysterious footsteps, unexplained voices, and objects moving without explanation after closing. The restaurant has developed a local haunted reputation.
The Public House, known as Peasant Restaurant in the 1970s, was originally a commissary for the Roswell Mill constructed in 1854. The building housed the Dunwoody Shoe Shop in 1920 and a funeral home upstairs. It was a Union hospital during the Civil War, and as legend goes, is the site of tragedy surrounding a forbidden romance between Michael, a teenaged Union soldier, and Catherine, a Southern Belle nurse. When Michael was killed by Confederate soldiers, some say Catherine hanged herself nearby. Michael and Catherine are believed to linger here, dancing in the loft, playing piano or playing tricks on employees. Glasses have moved across the bar by themselves, shadowy figures and orbs have been seen, and disembodied voices heard. One cook reported an apparition of a woman walking through the kitchen.