Colonial Taverns of New Jersey : Libations, Liberty and Revolution

The role of taverns in the establishment of the colonies and the country cannot be understated as they provided a place for soldiers, officers, merchants, and community members. They were strongholds of political activity and respites for travelers. A haven for Patriots and Loyalists alike, colonial taverns were the “seedbeds” of the Revolution, strongholds for political activities, beacons for travelers, and venues for entertainment, merriment, and libations.

Join speaker Michael Gabriele for a presentation based on his book “Colonial Taverns of New Jersey: Libations, Liberty and Revolution.”

New Jersey was the “Crossroads of the American Revolution,” and as battles raged, colonial taverns formed the social network that held the state together in the lead up to and during the Revolutionary War. Taverns were the main stage for the unfolding drama of a colony transitioning into statehood and making decisions about declaring a war of independence. Taverns--the hub of colonial villages--were the places where the voices of history took shape.  Taverns were used as recruitment stations for colonial militias.

New Jersey had many colonial taverns (an estimated 400) along well-traveled routes, providing a “hospitality business”  for the  carriage and stage wagon travel between New York and Philadelphia—transporting people and commercial goods.

Colonial village government councils typically met at local taverns to discuss business and issue proclamations and ordinances. New Jersey’s General Assembly, meeting in September 1777 at a tavern in Haddonfield, passed a resolution that declared New Jersey to be “a state, not a colony,” joining the call for revolution and independence, and a break from British rule. In effect, the tavern in Haddonfield (today known as the Indian King Tavern) is the place where New Jersey became a state.

As the book reveals, in New Jersey, taverns hosted such luminaries as Elizabeth Haddon, Jacob Hyer, Christopher Ludwick, Cyrus Bustell, Timothy Matlack, John Dickinson, Ann Risley, John Neilson, John Woolman and Henry Lyon. Gabriele’s book also provides insights into where Revolutionary War figures such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine and Alexander Hamilton REALLY slept!  Washington often commandeered taverns as a temporary headquarters, where he drafted his many letters and planned strategy with his generals. 

This is Michael C. Gabriele’s fifth book on New Jersey history, all published by Arcadia Publishing/The History Press. A lifelong Garden State resident, he is a 1975 graduate of Montclair State University and has worked as a journalist, freelance writer and author for more than 40 years. Visit Gabriele’s website (https://mcgabrielenjbooks.com/), which offers an overview of all his books.