White Horse Tavern (Newport, Rhode Island)

	White Horse Tavern
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	U.S. National Historic Landmark District; Contributing Property
	White Horse Tavern in 2017
Location	26 Marlborough Street; Newport, Rhode Island
Coordinates	41°29′29.0″N 71°18′49.5″W / 41.491389°N 71.313750°W
Built	1652–1673
Part of	Newport Historic District (ID68000001)
NRHP reference No.	72000032
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	February 23, 1972
Designated NHLDCP	November 24, 1968

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.

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]

References

^ ^a ^b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ "The Architectural Heritage of Newport, Rhode Island" - Page 433 by Antoinette Forrester Downing, Vincent Joseph Scully - 1967
^ "History | the White Horse Tavern, Newport, Rhode Island".

[nris-1] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.

[Scully-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ "The Architectural Heritage of Newport, Rhode Island" - Page 433 by Antoinette Forrester Downing, Vincent Joseph Scully - 1967

[3] "History | the White Horse Tavern, Newport, Rhode Island".

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v t e Restaurants in Rhode Island
Current	Al Forno Angelo's Civita Farnese Aunt Carrie's Bess Eaton Camille’s (Providence, Rhode Island) The Capital Grille Central Diner Clarke Cooke House Del's Haven Brothers Diner Modern Diner Newport Creamery Old Canteen Olneyville New York System Poirier's Diner Scialo Bros. Bakery White Horse Tavern (Newport, Rhode Island)
Defunct	Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse

History

See also

References