Apalachin’s Ransom Steele Tavern Closes, Historic Site For Sale

An iconic Tioga County venue that was popular for live music is no longer in business.

Ransom Steele Tavern in Apalachin opened in 2016 after a father-and-son team oversaw a major renovation of the historic building.

The site was in rough shape when it was acquired by Michael Liberty for $65,000 a few years earlier.

The property at the corner of Main Street and Pennsylvania Avenue has been listed for sale for several months.

The asking price now is $699,000 - that's a reduction of $200,000 from what was shown in the original listing.

Real estate agent Diane Wood confirmed that the owner of Ransom Steele Tavern closed the business last month. Its liquor license expired May 31.

Wood told WNBF News the place hasn't been sold yet, although there is a prospective buyer who has expressed interest in resuming operations of the tavern.

According to a historic marker placed next to the building on Pennsylvania Avenue, a tavern opened at the site in 1831. That date may not be accurate but it is known that a man named Ransom Steele built the place. It was originally known as the Steele Hotel.

A private school called the Barnaby Academy operated at the site during the Civil War.

An establishment called the Apalachin Tavern operated at the site for several decades.

The place gained some notoriety in 1992 when some customers involved in a dispute were ordered out of the bar. One thing led to another and an IBM-Endicott employee wound up with a serious head injury that resulted in his death.

After the Apalachin Tavern closed, the Smokehouse Restaurant was located in the building for a few years prior to the opening of Ransom Steele Tavern.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or call (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.