Philadelphia Weirdness

The Phantom Bride.

In ghost lore, tales of spectral ladies are rife, and many of such yarns do indeed pertain to ghostly brides—women who tragically never saw their wedding day. Such veiled women stalk their lonely limbo in search of some kind of destination or happiness.

One such spirit bride haunts the City Tavern at Second and Walnut Street in Philly. This building is a fine restaurant which began life in 1773, but not much remains of its original structure after fire swept through in 1854. It is this fire which spawns the ghost that appears so forlornly in the three-story building up until today.

The story is the stuff of legend. A beautiful bride, surrounded by her friends, merrily chatted upstairs as she began to ready herself for the big day. In the first-floor pub her soon to be husband talked and joked with his pals. But then, the place was quickly devoured by orange flame as a candle toppled over, catching the flow of a curtain. Soon, her elegant wedding dress was a white stream of material engulfed in choking smoke and flickering flame. The upstairs had caught fire, trapping the female party in their room. And forevermore.

The groom-to-be and his fellows could not ascend the smoke-filled stairs, and so his bride-to-be was to perish. It is said that the City Tavern is haunted by this sad spirit, a woman loitering and wallowing in her grief and lost love. She is often seen gliding through the corridors and even at functions she makes her presence known.

Despite being a nameless apparition, she certainly isn't faceless for it is said that she has appeared on occasion, in a few photographs taken inside the building—a deserted, stricken soul reaching out to the physical world for one last glimpse into a reality she would never know.

Image Credit: Flickr user dawnzy58