Smith Tavern facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Smith Tavern
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West profile and south elevation, 2008
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| Location | Armonk, NY |
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| Nearest city | White Plains |
| Area | 2 acres (0.81 ha) |
| Built | ca. 1779 |
| NRHP reference No. | 83001833 |
| Added to NRHP | September 15, 1983 |
The Smith Tavern is a historic building in Armonk, New York. It is a red wooden building from the late 1700s. This type of building, called a timber-frame house, is rare in this area today. The Smith family, who gave the tavern its name, owned it for most of the 1800s. However, they were not the ones who built it.
This old building has been used for many important things over the years. It played a big role in the growth of North Castle. During the Revolutionary War, it was a meeting place for the local army, called the militia. It was also a popular stop for stagecoaches traveling between New York City and Danbury, Connecticut.
Later, the Smith Tavern became the town's post office and the office for the town clerk. For a short time, Yale University owned it. It even served as a parsonage, which is a home for a church leader. The building has been updated by different owners over the years. In 1977, it became a history museum for the town. Six years later, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's a very important historical site.
Contents
What Does the Smith Tavern Look Like?
The Smith Tavern sits on a two-acre piece of land. It is on the north side of Route 22, a main road that runs east-west here. The area around it is mostly homes with large, wooded yards. A church is nearby to the northeast.
A small stone wall separates the building from the road. The tavern is made of wood siding, called clapboard, and sits on a stone foundation. It has three main parts. The biggest part has two stories and a pointed roof, called a gabled roof. This roof is covered with asphalt shingles and has one brick chimney.
The part of the building that was the original house is on the northeast side. It has two stories and a flat, gently sloped roof, called a hipped roof. This section was later extended to the northwest to add a garage. The building has simple decorations, like a basic cornice at the roofline. The windows have plain wooden sills and tops. The main front door has two parts and a glass window above it.
Inside, the largest rooms are in the southwest part of the building. The meeting room on the first floor has a fireplace, wood panels, and wide floorboards. These are all made of pine and are original to the building. Other rooms on this floor have their original floors and wallpaper from the late 1800s. Upstairs, the main bedroom shows off museum items like old tools and toys. The other bedrooms also look similar to the rooms downstairs.
A Look Back: The History of Smith Tavern
It's not clear exactly when the Smith Tavern was built. However, there was a tavern on this spot even before the Revolutionary War. In 1779, the local army, or militia, used a tavern here as their main office. The first known owner was a Quaker named Benjamin Hopkins. He helped people who had to leave New York City because of the British army. He later moved to Fishkill to find a safer place.
In 1779, the British burned his house in White Plains Road. They also burned other buildings in Bedford. It's possible they burned his tavern too, which was being rented by Ichabod Ogden at the time. The current tavern might have been built around what was left after that fire.
By 1792, a man named Benjamin Tripp owned the tavern. Town records show that the Town Board would meet at the town clerk's house and then go to the tavern afterward. The town clerk, Harrison Palmer, bought the tavern himself in the early 1790s. This meant the board didn't have to travel after their meetings.
In 1797, Palmer sold the tavern to John Smith. John Smith was a former captain in the Continental Army, the American army during the Revolution. He had been a prisoner for most of the war. The next year, he was elected town clerk. Soon, all important town activities, like meetings and discussions, happened at the tavern. It was also a frequent stop for stagecoaches because it was on the main road to Danbury, Connecticut. This helped the town stay connected to news from the city and New England.
John Smith ran the tavern, farmed the land, and served as town clerk until 1830. His son, Samuel, took over from him. In 1809, the local post office was set up at the tavern, and John Smith became its first postmaster. By the time Samuel Smith left the post office in 1855, trains had become popular. This meant fewer stagecoaches used the tavern, and it became less important for business. It eventually stopped being a commercial inn and became a family home. Samuel Smith lived there and farmed until he died in 1884.
His family sold the tavern to Odle Knapp, a successful farmer. He gave it to his son and daughter-in-law, Augustus and Kate Knapp, as a wedding gift. In 1898, the Knapps made many changes and additions to the house. They replaced the front windows and added a second story to the northeast part. They also added a front gable and a porch in the Victorian style. These additions were later removed to make the tavern look more like it did originally.
In 1905, the Knapps sold the house and farm to George Smith of Armonk. This George Smith was not related to the original owners. He farmed the land for 11 years. In 1916, he sold it to Fay Stanton from New York. Stanton loved the building's history and tried to open it as a tavern again, called the Red Jacket Inn. But it didn't work out. Two years later, the tavern and the remaining 17 acres of the farm were sold at an auction. A rich New York City businessman named John Sterling bought it.
Sterling died later that year. In his will, he left the property to his old school, Yale University. It took almost 20 years for Yale to officially take ownership. Two years later, Yale sold the house and five acres of land to Franklin and Frances Brown. They started making big renovations. Six years later, they sold it to another couple, the Datlowes, who continued the work.
The Browns and Datlowes did the most work on the house. They removed the porch and gable that the Knapps had added. They also rebuilt the chimney. Inside, they took off much of the wallpaper to show the original wood panels. They also updated the kitchen and bathrooms. After all the work, the house was painted in its current colors.
In 1974, the Datlowes sold the tavern to the nearby Christian and Missionary Alliance Church. The church used it as a parsonage and a meeting place. Three years later, the church decided to build a newer meeting place. They sold the house and the last two acres of its original land to the North Castle Historical Society. The society turned it into a museum, and it has been a museum ever since. Guides at the museum offer tours a few days a week.
Smith Tavern Educational Complex: More to Explore
The Smith Tavern is part of a larger area called the Smith Tavern Educational Complex. This complex includes four other historic buildings:
- The Brundage Blacksmith Shop
- Dr. Jerry Light’s Privy (an old outdoor toilet)
- The one-room East Middle Patent Schoolhouse
- The 1798 Quaker Meeting House
The Brundage Blacksmith Shop and Dr. Jerry Light’s Privy were added to the complex in 1981. The Schoolhouse joined in 1984, and the Quaker Meeting House was added in 1995.
See also
