The Public House

This building started as a mill commissary in 1854, later became a funeral home, and served as a Union hospital during the Civil War. There's also a tragic forbidden romance in its past.

The Public House in Roswell occupies a building constructed in 1854 as a commissary for the Roswell Mill. During the Civil War, Union forces occupied the city and used the building as a hospital. Later, it housed a funeral home upstairs and the Dunwoody Shoe Shop in 1920.

The most famous ghost story involves a tragic wartime romance. In 1864, under Union occupation, a teenager named Catherine worked for her father at the commissary. A young Union soldier named Michael came in one day and the two fell instantly in love. An affair between a Northerner and Southerner was scandalous during the war, so their relationship was brief and secret.

Michael was charged with treason and hanged in the Roswell town square. Catherine watched the execution from the upstairs window of the commissary. Her heart shattered, unable to bear the loss. A few days later, Catherine was found hanging from the large beams of the upstairs floor.

Michael and Catherine are said to linger at the site, dancing together in the loft, playing the piano, and playing tricks on employees. Glasses have moved across the bar by themselves. Shadowy figures and orbs have been captured on camera. Voices call out to staff from empty rooms. One cook reported a woman's spirit walking through the kitchen.

During the Roswell Ghost Tour, a guest photographed the building and captured what appears to be a woman hanging in the window - though the building was empty. A former general manager who started as a skeptic became a believer after years of strange experiences. Every night, staff turn the winged chairs to face inward; every morning, they find them facing the windows again - watching for someone who will never return.