Historic Colonial Taverns Offer Revolutionary-Era Experiences as America Approaches 250th Anniversary
A number of surviving taverns from the Colonial period, which once played crucial roles in Revolutionary discussions, now function as museums and eateries. In October 1774, Wright Tavern in Concord, Massachusetts, was the site of the First Massachusetts Provincial Congress and was taken over by British forces on April 19, 1775. This fall, it will reopen for tavern service. In New York City, Fraunces Tavern, acquired by Samuel Fraunces in 1762, hosted an extravagant celebration with George Washington in 1776. Ye Olde Centerton Inn in Pittsgrove, New Jersey, might have been a storage site for Continental Army ammunition. Established in 1750, Middleton Tavern in Annapolis, Maryland, and the White Horse Tavern in Newport, Rhode Island, which dates back to 1652, are also significant. Philadelphia's A Man Full of Trouble is set to reopen in December 2024, alongside other notable establishments like the Red Fox Inn & Tavern, Griswold Inn, and Pirates' House.
Key facts
- Wright Tavern in Concord, Massachusetts, will resume Colonial-era drink service in fall 2026.
- Fraunces Tavern in New York City hosted a 1776 party where attendees made 31 toasts and drank 109 bottles of wine.
- Ye Olde Centerton Inn in Pittsgrove, New Jersey, was built in 1706 and legends claim patriot militiamen killed loyalists there.
- Middleton Tavern in Annapolis, Maryland, established in 1750, survived a 1938 hurricane and two 1970s fires.
- The White Horse Tavern in Newport, Rhode Island, is one of 250 sites selected by Smithsonian magazine for America's 250th anniversary.
- A Man Full of Trouble in Philadelphia, founded in 1759, is the city's only surviving Colonial tavern, reopened in December 2024.
- Colonial Boston had approximately 150 taverns around the start of the Revolutionary War.
- The Pirates' House in Savannah, Georgia, includes the Herb House, built in 1734 as the oldest standing structure in Georgia.
Entities
Artists
- Scott Suchman
- Alex Gagne
- Timothy O'Connell
- Michelle Gustafson
- Gavin McIntyre
- Amos Doolittle
- William Breton
- Caroline Drwiega
- Dan Wheeler
Institutions
- Smithsonian magazine
- University of Pennsylvania
- Succession Fermentory
- Maryland Jockey Club
- Freemasons
- Tuesday Club
- Sons of Liberty
- First Massachusetts Provincial Congress
- New York Provincial Congress
- Rhode Island Colony’s General Assembly
- Continental Congress
- Confederate hospital
Locations
- Annapolis
- Maryland
- Concord
- Massachusetts
- New York City
- Manhattan
- Lower Manhattan
- Broad Street
- Pearl Street
- Pittsgrove
- New Jersey
- Elmer
- Bridgeton
- Philadelphia
- Pennsylvania
- Newport
- Rhode Island
- Middleburg
- Virginia
- Alexandria
- Winchester
- Essex
- Connecticut
- Savannah
- Georgia
- Second Street
- Spruce Street
- Front Street
- Chesapeake Bay
- Mount Vernon
- Indian Ocean
- Ashby Gap
- Gettysburg
- Trustees’ Garden
- Society Hill