Sightings Of Ghostly 'Boy On The Stairs' Reported At Historic Bucks Co. Tavern

DUBLIN, PA — There are old buildings with stories. And then there are buildings where the stories seem to refuse to leave.

At Craft Tavern, located inside the former Dublin Inn at 101 S. Main Street in Dublin Borough, several unusual experiences have recently begun pointing toward the same mysterious figure: a young boy associated with the building's staircase.

The accounts have been striking enough that Craft Tavern owner Tom Peters will be bringing mediums Julie Kraus and Dominic Sattele to the tavern on October 15 to explore the building, its history and the unexplained activity reported within its walls.

A Building Surrounded By History

The property's tavern roots reach deep into Dublin's history dating back to the 1760s.

Dublin itself grew along a heavily traveled early roadway, where taverns became part of the community's identity. An 1876 history of Bucks County describes an early log tavern at Dublin and records that three taverns had stood on the old tavern site by that time.

Even the origin of Dublin's name is wrapped in tavern lore. According to a longstanding local legend preserved by Dublin Borough, an early tavern was joined by a second, creating a “Double Inn,” a name that eventually evolved into Dublin.

Other historical accounts dispute that explanation, leaving the true origin unresolved. Today, Craft Tavern embraces that past through its dark, Prohibition-inspired atmosphere. But Peters says the building has increasingly revealed another side of its history — one that may not be as easy to explain.

According to Peters, separate experiences inside the building have repeatedly pointed toward the presence of a child. The descriptions are remarkably similar: A young boy. Old-fashioned clothing or a nightshirt. And the staircase.

Most intriguing is that descriptions of the boy surfaced independently, rather than being created for a ghost story or Halloween promotion, Peters said.

“When different people start describing the same thing without being told what someone else experienced, you start wondering what exactly is happening here,” Peters said. “I don't know who this boy is. I don't know if there's a historical explanation. That's what makes this so fascinating.”

The Boy On The Stairs

On October 15, mediums Julie Kraus and Dominic Sattele visited Craft Tavern to explore the property and attempt to learn more about the presence associated with the staircase.

“This isn't about us declaring that we know there's a ghost here,” Peters said. “Something unusual has been experienced more than once, and there are similarities in what people are describing. We want to see where the story leads.”

(Craft Tavern)

Peters opened Craft Tavern in 2025, transforming the former Dublin Inn into a speakeasy-style tavern centered around scratch-made food, handcrafted cocktails and hospitality.

The dark wood, vintage-inspired décor and Prohibition-era atmosphere were intended to evoke another time. Peters never anticipated the building might eventually provide a mystery of its own. Now, as October arrives, Craft Tavern is opening another chapter in the property's story.

And somewhere along the staircase, there may still be a young boy waiting to tell his.