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The original Pettibone’s Tavern, now Abigail’s Grille, on Hartford Road in Simsbury, was built in 1780 for Jonathan Pettibone, Jr., whose father, Jonathan Pettibone, had been killed in the fighting around New York in 1776. The Tavern served as a stagecoach stop on the Boston to Albany Turnpike. The original tavern was burned to the ground by Indians in 1800, but was soon rebuilt and reopened in 1803. In more recent times, the tavern has been a restaurant. It was purchased by the Chart House chain in the 1970s, but under new ownership became known as Pettibone’s Tavern again. In January, the building was damaged after a fire activated the sprinkler system. It was after hours and the sprinklers were not connected to an alarm, so they did extensive damage, which was not discovered until the morning. The Tavern is currently being repaired and will reopen soon under new management. The Tavern is also famous for being haunted, possibly by the ghost of Abigail Pettibone. BOO! The Story of the Pettibone Ghost, a current exhibition at the Simsbury Historical Society, focuses on the Pettibone family and the story of the ghost.

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Pettibone’s Tavern (1803)
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10 thoughts on “Pettibone’s Tavern (1803)

  • October 21, 2008 at 9:43 pm
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    my girls is from the pettibone in vermount and also of norfolk ct

  • November 19, 2013 at 11:49 pm
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    Colonel Jonathon Pettibone was my Great great Grandfather. Josie Butterfiled Carr, daughter of Joanna Pettibone, was my Grandmother.

    I would like to connect with any Pettibone relatives.

  • May 22, 2015 at 8:53 am
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    Hi, after the fire in 2008, I took pictures
    from the outside. One picture is a flame!
    I live in East Granby. Very exciting!

  • December 15, 2015 at 10:33 pm
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    My father was David And grandfather was Frank.

  • October 3, 2017 at 6:52 pm
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    I am on the line of John Pettibone m. Sarah Eggleston, residents of Simsbury, CT, both listed as having passed in -1713, date born is not listed in the genealogy compiled & written by my Great Uncle John Samuel Pettibone, published in 1947 (The Pettibones: Gone, Bygone and Doggone).

    John Pettibone would be my (6x) Great Grandfather if I’m reading the genealogy chart correctly included in our copy of the genealogy. You know, I think I read it incorrectly. My sisters and I are 10th Generation Pettibones starting with John Pettibone & Sarah Eggleston, who married February 16, 1664. They had a modest family of 8 children. My line extends down from Samuel Pettibone m. Mary Porter, then Samuel Jr m. Rhoda Bridgeman, finally getting closer to ‘recent’ their John S. Pettibone m. Laura Graves, which led to Albert Wells Pettibone m Cordelia Wilson…

    Hence began the AWP’s of our line.

    I’d love to hear from any Pettibone! My ancestors came here as best we can tell from Wales to Simsbury, headed up to Manchester VT, then out to LaCrosse WI and down the Mississippi (literally, rafting timbers back around 1860 to St Louis, but settling in Hannibal, MO when a large raft of timbers broke apart here, and rather than sell, my Great Great Grandfather, Albert Wells Pettibone instead established a sawmill company here aka The Hannibal Sawmill Company).

    Kind regards,

    Wells Pettibone

  • February 1, 2018 at 6:13 pm
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    Hi!
    I, too, am descended from John Pettibone. The family spent many years in Simsbury, but eventually moved west to Erie, PA where there are many Pettibone burials, including up to my grandfather, Ward Burton Pettibone and his brother, my great uncle, Edward Lacey Pettibone, D.D.S. from Western Reserve College of Dentistry and he helped found which is now known as the American Academy of Dentistry for Children. Ward was an executive at Willard Battery. Ward and Lacey’s father moved to Cleveland, but many relatives stayed in Erie. Descended from John to Samuel to Isaac to Elijah to Titus to James Edw. to Charles Edward to Ward Burton to Charles Arthur, my father. I am 10 generation. Would like to hear more of your family. We both descended from John and then Samuel.

  • November 25, 2021 at 9:19 pm
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    Though not a member of the Pettibone family, our family reportedly was in the Avon / Simsbury area in 1700’s; and my father was an owner of the Pettibone Tavern. I believe he sold to “The Chart House”. I did hear weird noises upstairs when we were the only ones in the restaurant.

  • January 30, 2023 at 5:46 am
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    Hello. I am not related to anyone here. I did grow up in Bloomfield, CT. I actually worked in this building when it was under The Chart House ownership. I went from dishwasher to food prep and broiler cook. Never ever heard any noises. well, not from ghosts anyway. I had a blast working there. I met some amazing stoners i meant people.

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