Black Horse Tavern (Belfast, Maine) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Black Horse Tavern
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Front of the Black Horse Tavern located along Searsport Avenue, 1936 HABS photo
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | Searsport Avenue, Belfast, Maine |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1795 |
| Architectural style | Cape Cod |
| NRHP reference No. | 82000783 |
| Added to NRHP | February 11, 1982 |
The Black Horse Tavern is a very old building in Belfast, Maine. It was built way back in 1795. This building was the first tavern in Belfast located on the east side of the Passagassawakeag River.
A tavern was a place where people could eat, drink, and stay overnight, like a hotel or inn. The Black Horse Tavern is a great example of old American architecture from the Federal period. Today, it is a private home. In 1982, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's an important historical site in the United States.
Contents
The Black Horse Tavern
What is the Black Horse Tavern?
The Black Horse Tavern building is on Searsport Avenue in Belfast, Maine. This road is also known as U.S. Route 1. It sits close to where the Passagassawakeag River meets the sea.
The building is a one-and-a-half-story house made of wood. It is built in the Cape Cod style. It has a roof that slopes down on two sides and a chimney in the middle. The outside walls are covered with clapboard, which are long, thin boards. The foundation is made of stone.
A Look Inside
The front of the house faces east. The main door is in the center and has no special decorations around it. A smaller part of the house, called an ell, sticks out to the north. This ell was added in the 20th century. It has two small windows that stick out from the roof, called dormers.
The inside of the main house is very well kept. Many original features are still there. You can see wide pine wood on the lower part of the walls. Both front rooms have large fireplaces. The back rooms have simple wooden walls. The original doors and door frames are still used today.
Who Built It?
The Black Horse Tavern was built around 1795 by a man named Jerome Stephenson. He was a soldier in the American Revolutionary War. After the war, he moved to Belfast in 1784.
Jerome Stephenson was an important person in Belfast. He helped run the town as a selectman in 1785. He built this house for his family to live in.
From Home to Tavern
In 1800, Jerome Stephenson changed his family home into a tavern. It became known as the Black Horse Tavern. His son and grandson continued to run the tavern after him. It stayed a tavern until about 1852.
The original sign that was used to identify the tavern is still kept inside the house today. It's a cool piece of history!
