General Wayne Inn
Historic former tavern in Merion, Pennsylvania
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The General Wayne Inn is a former tavern and, since 2005, an Orthodox Jewish synagogue located at 625 Montgomery Avenue, in Merion Station, Pennsylvania, in the United States.
General Wayne Inn | |
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| Location | 625 Montgomery Avenue, Merion Station, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
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| Coordinates | 40°0′33″N 75°15′13″W |
| Built | 1704 |
| NRHP reference No. | 76001655[1] |
| Added to NRHP | January 1, 1976 |
The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.[1]
Tavern history
Established as a tavern in 1704, it was previously named the William Penn Inn, Wayside Inn, Tunis Ordinary, and Streepers Tavern before being renamed in 1793 in honor of American Revolutionary War hero General "Mad" Anthony Wayne, who had once stayed there. The Inn gained fame for rumors of being "haunted" and was later featured on Unsolved Mysteries.[2][3]
Murder and suicide
Executive chef James Edwin “Jim” Webb and his business partner Guy Angelo Sileo Jr. bought the General Wayne in 1995. Webb was found murdered there in his office on December 27, 1996. Felicia Moyse, a 20-year-old assistant chef at the inn and Sileo's girlfriend, committed suicide on February 22, 1997.[4]
Moyse had been an alibi witness for Sileo. On the night of the murder, she and Sileo left the General Wayne at the same time, driving to dinner in their separate vehicles.[4] Sileo doubled back, killed Webb using a .25 Beretta Model 20 pistol later linked to him by forensic evidence, then rushed to arrive at dinner before Moyse.
Police believe that Moyse realized her boyfriend had set her up as his alibi and was unable to live with it.[4][5]
Police proved that Sileo had killed Webb in order to receive the $650,000 (equivalent to $1,334,000 in 2025) life insurance money from their partnership policies, before Webb could end their partnership and shut down the General Wayne.[6] Sileo was convicted in 2001 and sentenced to life in prison.[6]
Famous people
Famous people who visited the inn include:
Synagogue
| Chabad of the Main Line | |
|---|---|
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Orthodox Judaism |
| Rite | Chabad-Lubavitch |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Synagogue |
| Leadership |
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| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | 625 Montgomery Avenue, Merion Station, Pennsylvania 19066 |
| Country | United States |
 Interactive map of Chabad of the Main Line | |
| Architecture | |
| Completed | 2005 |
| Website | |
| chabadmainline | |
In 2005, the building was purchased and renovated as Chabad of the Main Line, an Orthodox Jewish congregation that practices in the Chabad-Lubavitch rite. Located on the Philadelphia Main Line, the congregation converted the former tavern into a synagogue and community center.[7][8]