Colonial Taverns of New JerseyColonial Taverns of New Jersey

New Jersey was the "Crossroads of the American Revolution," and as battles raged, colonial taverns formed the social network that held the state together. Due to the demand for carriage travel between New York and Philadelphia, New Jersey had myriad taverns along well-traveled routes. A haven for Patriots and Loyalists alike, the colonial tavern was the main stage for key debates on the question of independence. Once the war began, they became recruitment stations for colonial militias and meeting places for local committees of safety. George Washington used them as headquarters and safe houses for his spies and troops. A Haddonfield tavern was the site where New Jersey's General Assembly declared itself a state, not a colony, independent from Britain. Author Michael C. Gabriele unearths intoxicating stories of New Jersey's colonial taverns.