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Presentation: Colonial Taverns of New Jersey

Author Michael Gabriele explores the rich history of taverns in Colonial New Jersey. Enjoy some hot cider as you discover the crucial role of taverns in the American Revolution.

Author Michael C. Gabriele is a lifelong Garden State resident and a 1975 graduate of Montclair State University. He has worked as a journalist, freelance writer and author for more than forty years. Gabriele is a member of the board of trustees for the New Jersey Folk Festival at Rutgers University, a member of the executive boards for the Allied Artists of America, New York, the Nutley Historical Society, the Theater League of Clifton, and serves on the advisory board of the Clifton Arts Center.

From the author: New Jersey was the “Crossroads of the American Revolution,” and as battles raged, colonial taverns formed the social network that held the state together. Taverns were the stage for the unfolding drama of a colony transitioning into statehood and making decisions about declaring a war of independence. New Jersey’s General Assembly, meeting in September 1777 at a tavern in Haddonfield, declared New Jersey to be “a state, not a colony,” in effect, joining the call for revolution and a break from British rule. Taverns were the places where the voices of history took shape, used as recruitment stations for colonial militias and meeting places for local committees of safety, which ran daily municipal matters for communities. George Washington used taverns as headquarters, where he drafted his many letters and planned strategy with his generals. Taverns were the “seedbeds” for the revolution, strongholds for political activities, beacons for travelers, and venues for entertainment, merriment, and libations.

Presented in partnership with the Historical Society of Princeton.

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