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White Horse Tavern (Newport, Rhode Island)
Historic place in Rhode Island, United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The White Horse Tavern was constructed before 1673 and is believed to be the oldest tavern building in the United States.[2] It is located on the corner of Farewell and Marlborough streets in Newport, Rhode Island.
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History
English immigrant Francis Brindley constructed the original building on the site in 1652 on land obtained from his brother-in-law William Coddington.[2] In 1673, he sold the lot to William Mayes, who enlarged the building to become a tavern.[2] It was also used for large meetings, including as a Rhode Island General Assembly meeting place, a courthouse, and a city hall.[2] Mayes obtained a tavern license in 1687, and his son William Mayes Jr. operated it through the early eighteenth century.[2] The operation was named "The White Horse Tavern" in 1730 by owner Jonathan Nichols.[2]
Loyalists and British troops were quartered there during the British occupation of Newport in the American Revolution, around the time of the Battle of Rhode Island.[2] Newport's Van Bueren family donated money to the private Preservation Society of Newport to restore the building in 1952, after years of neglect as a boarding house.[2] After the restoration, it was sold and once again operated as a private tavern and restaurant,[2] and it remains a popular drinking and dining location today.[3]
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References
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