The Rebirth of Plymouth’s Rye Tavern

Alone on one of America’s oldest roads, between woodlands and fallow fields, Plymouth’s Rye Tavern is once again open for business—in the building that has served travelers and wayward gourmands off-and-on since 1792. The structure is both unassuming and quintessential, a post-Revolution relic set at the convergence of Old Sandwich Road and the Old Tavern Trail. If one knew nothing about The Pinehills, the planned residential community of nearly 3,000 homes within easy walking distance of the Rye, one might believe the restaurant exists in the middle of the forest, inviting as the witch’s cabin in Hansel and Gretel. It’s easy to drift away into an illusion of isolation from the outside world, and thus, the Rye offers a destination-like feel. The fact that ghosts live here only adds to its mystique—for yes, the tavern is most certainly haunted. Owner Jennifer Withington recalls how one of the ghost-hunter outfits came to investigate a few years back. “They held a seánce here,” she says. “They could hear the clip-clopping sound of horses on the road. And then there’s Walter, the ghost that would guard the tavern’s old cast iron furnace downstairs.” Head Chef Josh Todisco is another believer. He says, “There are definitely ghosts here. I’ll be working some nights, late, and I’ll hear sounds. Things will fall off tables that couldn’t fall on their own.”