Jug Tavern
Encyclopedia
The Jug Tavern, also known as the Davids–Garrison House or the Grapevine Inn, is located at the junction of Revolutionary Road and Rockledge Avenue in Ossining
, New York, United States. It is a wood frame
building, the oldest elements of which date to the mid-18th century, before the American Revolution
, making it possibly the oldest structure in the village. It has, however, been expanded and modified since then, and was almost completely rebuilt in the late 19th century. In 1976 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
Originally it was located along the Albany Post Road
, the central building in the small hamlet of Sparta, a name still used for the neighborhood later absorbed into the village of Ossining and retaining many other intact historic buildings. Much of the house's history is unclear, including whether it was ever even a tavern. Some local legends hold that Revolutionary War
figures such as George Washington
and John André
visited. The name "Jug Tavern" was not even known to have been used for the property until the mid-20th century. A local organization dedicated to preserving
the building currently owns the property.
. On the east are large modern commercial buildings and parking lots; to the west are the other residential buildings of Sparta, amid mature trees. Sparta Brook, a small tributary
of the Hudson that takes its name from the settlement, is just to the east. The land slopes up slightly toward the north and northwest as a result.
The six-by-two-bay
building is built into that rise, with its stone foundation
exposed on the east to give it the appearance of two and a half stories. The basement's east face, like the upper stories, is sided in clapboard
. It is topped with a side-gable
d, shingled roof from which one brick chimney rises. On the northwest corner of the second story is an addition that gives the north facade an extra bay.
Along the full length of the second story is a balustrade veranda that serves as a porch for the ground floor. It is supported by five square wooden pillars that rise to the overhanging eaves. Both stories have full fenestration with two-over-two double-hung sash window
s and two entrances flanking the center, with those on the second story closer together and having no intervening window. Similar windows are on the other three elevations and in the gable fields. Additional entrances are located at the south basement and the north addition.
Inside all the finishes are modern. Most date to the late 19th century at the earliest. The only remnant of the original building is in the structural system
, where later renovations replaced some, but not most, of the original mortise and tenon
framing
with balloon framing more common at the time the renovations were likely done.
. The Albany Post Road
was built through the area in 1723, and by 1744 a bridge crossed the brook. The area was a natural crossroads, and Davids built a farmhouse from which at least the foundation
and framing
survive between 1758 and 1760.
Incomplete later records suggest that his sons inherited various portions of the leasehold, though it is not known which. By the 1780s, the latest period suggested for the house's construction, a road ran down to the river from the site and the future hamlet of Sparta was coming into being. In 1784 the Philipse land was confiscated by the state as a consequence of Frederick Philipse's support for the British
during the recent Revolutionary War
. The following year it was offered for sale, and Peter Davids bought the 200 acres (80.9 ha) that comprise not only the tavern site but present-day Sparta. Maps from this time show a building, but not at the exact site.
Four years later, Davids took out a mortgage covering 70 of those acres (70 acres (28.3 ha)) to cover debts he had owed a New York City man since 1772. In 1794 he defaulted
, and signed it over to James Drowley, who laid out a plan for Sparta but died in 1795. A survey map from that year of the plan is the first known to show a building at the current site. Davids died that year also, and his widow may have lived there at the time.
By 1814 the house had become the property of Nathaniel and Annis Garrison. That year they transferred it to a Samuel and Tallman Garrison, possibly Nathaniel's brothers. In turn, Tallman Garrison's 1817 will
bequeathed his half of the property to his brother William. Nathaniel and Annis apparently continued living there. Sparta changed soon after when the Post Road was rerouted away from the house to the current alignment of Route 9. This benefited Sing Sing (as Ossining was then known) to the north as a local port for river shipping, since its Main Street was still a convenient route to its docks, which also charged a lower fee. Sparta began to decline as a commercial center, to the point that when then Hudson River Railroad was built two decades later, no station was built to serve it.
Nathaniel Garrison died in 1843. His wife at some point regained the property, since records show that she paid the property tax
es on it during the 1860s, possibly with proceeds from a very small shop local lore says she ran in the house and boarders
they took in. At some time during the Garrisons' ownership of the house, its size was doubled and the veranda added. Sparta further changed two years after Nathaniel Garrison's death, when, in 1845, it became part of the Town of Ossining
, newly created from the Town of Mount Pleasant
.
The likelihood that Nathaniel and Annis Garrison regained ownership sometime during the early 19th century also finds support in their grandsons' sale of the house to Michael Geisler in 1882. He spent much of the next year rebuilding it almost as it was. A contemporary painting, presumed to show the house as it was before this work, depicts it almost as it is now save for having two chimneys and showing signs of neglect, with gaps in its eaves showing its rafter
s.
This might have led Geisler to restore
the house, but that is not known for sure. It is also possible that it was damaged by fire, as a contemporary newspaper account reports that Geisler's home in Sparta was burned. It is not clear whether the article is referring to the tavern itself though since Geisler owned more than one property in the hamlet, and an account of the tavern's demolition
in the same newspaper a week later makes no mention of a fire.In the late 1970s, two architectural specialists who inspected the framing and fabric of the building found no evidence of fire; however, they were also not aware that one had supposedly occurred. It also reports that much of the original timber framing
was in good condition, so it may likely have been reused either in the rebuilt house or the new house Geisler was building nearby.
In 1901 the village of Sing Sing formally changed its name to Ossining, in order to distinguish itself from Sing Sing Prison. Five years later, Sparta itself voted to be annexed
by the prosperous village, which they had increasingly come to feel part of. It was an increasingly declining
part, with high crime and deteriorating buildings. That ended in 1919 when Frank A. Vanderlip
, president of National City Bank, and his wife, residents of Scarborough
to the south, began redeveloping the hamlet. They bought many of the old houses and restored them into middle-class housing.
The Jug Tavern, already renovated by the Geislers, was not among Vanderlip's restorations. However, it may have figured in Vanderlip's efforts, as many of the houses were being renovated in the Colonial Revival
mode, and it was the only building in Sparta that actually dated to that period. The Vanderlip efforts, which continued past his death until the last restored house was sold in the 1970s, led to much local newspaper coverage and an interest in the history of the area. It is during that period that much of the lore about the Tavern—that various Revolutionary
figures such as George Washington
or John André
had stopped in for a drink, or that British prisoners of war
were held in the cellar—may have surfaced and become accepted as, or confused with, fact.
Geisler's descendants owned and lived in the house until 1974, when it was sold to the town. The village designated Sparta a local historic district
the following year. Restoration efforts began, and it was listed on the Register in 1976. In 1986, the property was turned over to its present owner, Jug Tavern of Sparta Inc., a non-profit organization that preserves
it. Restoration was completed in 1991.
being granted to the property exists. In 1795, a man named William Hall was granted a license to operate a tavern in Sparta, the first record of that name being used for the community, but the tavern's location is not specified. Some local lore holds that liquor was served illegally, without charge, to those who could be trusted to keep that knowledge to themselves, and hence no license would have been sought, much less recorded.
That belief also holds that liquor sales were illegal when made by the jug rather than the glass, hence the name. "Jug Tavern" does not appear in any document related to the building until 1947, and reportedly the Geisler descendants who lived there as it began to catch on were offended by it. Almost 30 years later, Frank Vanderlip's son told the authors of a walking tour
guidebook that he had never heard the name in his lifetime of developing the area. To him it had always been known as the "Grapevine Inn", due to the decorations around the front door. An 1895 photograph appears to show them.
Ossining (village), New York
Ossining is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 25,060 at the 2010 census. As a village, it is located in the Town of Ossining.-Geography:Ossining borders the eastern shores of the widest part of the Hudson River....
, New York, United States. It is a wood frame
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
building, the oldest elements of which date to the mid-18th century, before the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, making it possibly the oldest structure in the village. It has, however, been expanded and modified since then, and was almost completely rebuilt in the late 19th century. In 1976 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Originally it was located along the Albany Post Road
Albany Post Road
The Albany Post Road was a post road - a road used for mail delivery - in the U.S. state of New York. It connected the cities of New York and Albany along the east side of the Hudson River, a service now performed by US 9.The rough route was as follows:...
, the central building in the small hamlet of Sparta, a name still used for the neighborhood later absorbed into the village of Ossining and retaining many other intact historic buildings. Much of the house's history is unclear, including whether it was ever even a tavern. Some local legends hold that Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
figures such as George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
and John André
John André
John André was a British army officer hanged as a spy during the American War of Independence. This was due to an incident in which he attempted to assist Benedict Arnold's attempted surrender of the fort at West Point, New York to the British.-Early life:André was born on May 2, 1750 in London to...
visited. The name "Jug Tavern" was not even known to have been used for the property until the mid-20th century. A local organization dedicated to preserving
Historic preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
the building currently owns the property.
Building
The tavern is located on the northwest corner of the intersection, 600 feet (182.9 m) west of Albany Post Road (U.S. Route 9) and 1000 feet (304.8 m) east of the Hudson RiverHudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
. On the east are large modern commercial buildings and parking lots; to the west are the other residential buildings of Sparta, amid mature trees. Sparta Brook, a small tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the Hudson that takes its name from the settlement, is just to the east. The land slopes up slightly toward the north and northwest as a result.
The six-by-two-bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
building is built into that rise, with its stone foundation
Foundation (architecture)
A foundation is the lowest and supporting layer of a structure. Foundations are generally divided into two categories: shallow foundations and deep foundations.-Shallow foundations:...
exposed on the east to give it the appearance of two and a half stories. The basement's east face, like the upper stories, is sided in clapboard
Clapboard (architecture)
Clapboard, also known as bevel siding or lap siding or weather-board , is a board used typically for exterior horizontal siding that has one edge thicker than the other and where the board above laps over the one below...
. It is topped with a side-gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d, shingled roof from which one brick chimney rises. On the northwest corner of the second story is an addition that gives the north facade an extra bay.
Along the full length of the second story is a balustrade veranda that serves as a porch for the ground floor. It is supported by five square wooden pillars that rise to the overhanging eaves. Both stories have full fenestration with two-over-two double-hung sash window
Sash window
A sash window or hung sash window is made of one or more movable panels or "sashes" that form a frame to hold panes of glass, which are often separated from other panes by narrow muntins...
s and two entrances flanking the center, with those on the second story closer together and having no intervening window. Similar windows are on the other three elevations and in the gable fields. Additional entrances are located at the south basement and the north addition.
Inside all the finishes are modern. Most date to the late 19th century at the earliest. The only remnant of the original building is in the structural system
Structural system
The term structural system or structural frame in structural engineering refers to load-resisting sub-system of a structure. The structural system transfers loads through interconnected structural components or members.-High-rise buildings:...
, where later renovations replaced some, but not most, of the original mortise and tenon
Mortise and tenon
The mortise and tenon joint has been used for thousands of years by woodworkers around the world to join pieces of wood, mainly when the adjoining pieces connect at an angle of 90°. In its basic form it is both simple and strong. Although there are many joint variations, the basic mortise and tenon...
framing
Framing (construction)
Framing, in construction known as light-frame construction, is a building technique based around structural members, usually called studs, which provide a stable frame to which interior and exterior wall coverings are attached, and covered by a roof comprising horizontal ceiling joists and sloping...
with balloon framing more common at the time the renovations were likely done.
History
Early 18th-century records suggest that the land where the tavern now stands, then owned by the Philipse family, was leased by a Charles Davids (or Davis, in some documents), a tenant farmerTenant farmer
A tenant farmer is one who resides on and farms land owned by a landlord. Tenant farming is an agricultural production system in which landowners contribute their land and often a measure of operating capital and management; while tenant farmers contribute their labor along with at times varying...
. The Albany Post Road
Albany Post Road
The Albany Post Road was a post road - a road used for mail delivery - in the U.S. state of New York. It connected the cities of New York and Albany along the east side of the Hudson River, a service now performed by US 9.The rough route was as follows:...
was built through the area in 1723, and by 1744 a bridge crossed the brook. The area was a natural crossroads, and Davids built a farmhouse from which at least the foundation
Foundation (architecture)
A foundation is the lowest and supporting layer of a structure. Foundations are generally divided into two categories: shallow foundations and deep foundations.-Shallow foundations:...
and framing
Framing (construction)
Framing, in construction known as light-frame construction, is a building technique based around structural members, usually called studs, which provide a stable frame to which interior and exterior wall coverings are attached, and covered by a roof comprising horizontal ceiling joists and sloping...
survive between 1758 and 1760.
Incomplete later records suggest that his sons inherited various portions of the leasehold, though it is not known which. By the 1780s, the latest period suggested for the house's construction, a road ran down to the river from the site and the future hamlet of Sparta was coming into being. In 1784 the Philipse land was confiscated by the state as a consequence of Frederick Philipse's support for the British
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
during the recent Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. The following year it was offered for sale, and Peter Davids bought the 200 acres (80.9 ha) that comprise not only the tavern site but present-day Sparta. Maps from this time show a building, but not at the exact site.
Four years later, Davids took out a mortgage covering 70 of those acres (70 acres (28.3 ha)) to cover debts he had owed a New York City man since 1772. In 1794 he defaulted
Default (finance)
In finance, default occurs when a debtor has not met his or her legal obligations according to the debt contract, e.g. has not made a scheduled payment, or has violated a loan covenant of the debt contract. A default is the failure to pay back a loan. Default may occur if the debtor is either...
, and signed it over to James Drowley, who laid out a plan for Sparta but died in 1795. A survey map from that year of the plan is the first known to show a building at the current site. Davids died that year also, and his widow may have lived there at the time.
By 1814 the house had become the property of Nathaniel and Annis Garrison. That year they transferred it to a Samuel and Tallman Garrison, possibly Nathaniel's brothers. In turn, Tallman Garrison's 1817 will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
bequeathed his half of the property to his brother William. Nathaniel and Annis apparently continued living there. Sparta changed soon after when the Post Road was rerouted away from the house to the current alignment of Route 9. This benefited Sing Sing (as Ossining was then known) to the north as a local port for river shipping, since its Main Street was still a convenient route to its docks, which also charged a lower fee. Sparta began to decline as a commercial center, to the point that when then Hudson River Railroad was built two decades later, no station was built to serve it.
Nathaniel Garrison died in 1843. His wife at some point regained the property, since records show that she paid the property tax
Property tax
A property tax is an ad valorem levy on the value of property that the owner is required to pay. The tax is levied by the governing authority of the jurisdiction in which the property is located; it may be paid to a national government, a federated state or a municipality...
es on it during the 1860s, possibly with proceeds from a very small shop local lore says she ran in the house and boarders
Boarding house
A boarding house, is a house in which lodgers rent one or more rooms for one or more nights, and sometimes for extended periods of weeks, months and years. The common parts of the house are maintained, and some services, such as laundry and cleaning, may be supplied. They normally provide "bed...
they took in. At some time during the Garrisons' ownership of the house, its size was doubled and the veranda added. Sparta further changed two years after Nathaniel Garrison's death, when, in 1845, it became part of the Town of Ossining
Ossining (town), New York
Ossining is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 37,674 at the 2010 census. It contains two villages, the Village of Ossining and part of Briarcliff Manor, the rest of which is located in the Town of Mount Pleasant....
, newly created from the Town of Mount Pleasant
Mount Pleasant, New York
Mount Pleasant is a town in Westchester County, New York, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 43,724.-Geography:...
.
The likelihood that Nathaniel and Annis Garrison regained ownership sometime during the early 19th century also finds support in their grandsons' sale of the house to Michael Geisler in 1882. He spent much of the next year rebuilding it almost as it was. A contemporary painting, presumed to show the house as it was before this work, depicts it almost as it is now save for having two chimneys and showing signs of neglect, with gaps in its eaves showing its rafter
Rafter
A rafter is one of a series of sloped structural members , that extend from the ridge or hip to the downslope perimeter or eave, designed to support the roof deck and its associated loads.-Design:...
s.
This might have led Geisler to restore
Building restoration
Building restoration describes a particular treatment approach and philosophy within the field of architectural conservation. According the U.S...
the house, but that is not known for sure. It is also possible that it was damaged by fire, as a contemporary newspaper account reports that Geisler's home in Sparta was burned. It is not clear whether the article is referring to the tavern itself though since Geisler owned more than one property in the hamlet, and an account of the tavern's demolition
Demolition
Demolition is the tearing-down of buildings and other structures, the opposite of construction. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking a building apart while carefully preserving valuable elements for re-use....
in the same newspaper a week later makes no mention of a fire.In the late 1970s, two architectural specialists who inspected the framing and fabric of the building found no evidence of fire; however, they were also not aware that one had supposedly occurred. It also reports that much of the original timber framing
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
was in good condition, so it may likely have been reused either in the rebuilt house or the new house Geisler was building nearby.
In 1901 the village of Sing Sing formally changed its name to Ossining, in order to distinguish itself from Sing Sing Prison. Five years later, Sparta itself voted to be annexed
Annexation
Annexation is the de jure incorporation of some territory into another geo-political entity . Usually, it is implied that the territory and population being annexed is the smaller, more peripheral, and weaker of the two merging entities, barring physical size...
by the prosperous village, which they had increasingly come to feel part of. It was an increasingly declining
Urban decay
Urban decay is the process whereby a previously functioning city, or part of a city, falls into disrepair and decrepitude...
part, with high crime and deteriorating buildings. That ended in 1919 when Frank A. Vanderlip
Frank A. Vanderlip
Frank A. Vanderlip was an American banker. From 1897-1901, Vanderlip was the Assistant Secretary of Treasury for President of the United States William McKinley's second term. In that office he negotiated with National City Bank a $200 million loan to the government to finance the Spanish...
, president of National City Bank, and his wife, residents of Scarborough
Scarborough Historic District
Scarborough Historic District is a national historic district located at Ossining, Westchester County, New York. The district contains 26 contributing buildings, two contributing sites, and one contributing structure. They are associated with three estates, a school complex, a cemetery, and two...
to the south, began redeveloping the hamlet. They bought many of the old houses and restored them into middle-class housing.
The Jug Tavern, already renovated by the Geislers, was not among Vanderlip's restorations. However, it may have figured in Vanderlip's efforts, as many of the houses were being renovated in the Colonial Revival
Colonial Revival architecture
The Colonial Revival was a nationalistic architectural style, garden design, and interior design movement in the United States which sought to revive elements of Georgian architecture, part of a broader Colonial Revival Movement in the arts. In the early 1890s Americans began to value their own...
mode, and it was the only building in Sparta that actually dated to that period. The Vanderlip efforts, which continued past his death until the last restored house was sold in the 1970s, led to much local newspaper coverage and an interest in the history of the area. It is during that period that much of the lore about the Tavern—that various Revolutionary
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
figures such as George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
or John André
John André
John André was a British army officer hanged as a spy during the American War of Independence. This was due to an incident in which he attempted to assist Benedict Arnold's attempted surrender of the fort at West Point, New York to the British.-Early life:André was born on May 2, 1750 in London to...
had stopped in for a drink, or that British prisoners of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
were held in the cellar—may have surfaced and become accepted as, or confused with, fact.
Geisler's descendants owned and lived in the house until 1974, when it was sold to the town. The village designated Sparta a local historic district
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
the following year. Restoration efforts began, and it was listed on the Register in 1976. In 1986, the property was turned over to its present owner, Jug Tavern of Sparta Inc., a non-profit organization that preserves
Historic preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
it. Restoration was completed in 1991.
Name and use
There is uncertainty over whether the house was ever used as a tavern, and if it was, whether it was called the Jug Tavern. No clear record of a liquor licenseLiquor license
-Alberta:In Alberta, liquor licences are issued by the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission.-United Kingdom:Throughout the United Kingdom, the sale of alcohol is restricted—pubs, restaurants, shops and other premises must be licensed by the local authority. The individual responsible for the...
being granted to the property exists. In 1795, a man named William Hall was granted a license to operate a tavern in Sparta, the first record of that name being used for the community, but the tavern's location is not specified. Some local lore holds that liquor was served illegally, without charge, to those who could be trusted to keep that knowledge to themselves, and hence no license would have been sought, much less recorded.
That belief also holds that liquor sales were illegal when made by the jug rather than the glass, hence the name. "Jug Tavern" does not appear in any document related to the building until 1947, and reportedly the Geisler descendants who lived there as it began to catch on were offended by it. Almost 30 years later, Frank Vanderlip's son told the authors of a walking tour
Walking tour
Walking tour may be defined has having one or more of the following characteristics:* A full or partial-day tour of one or more tourist destinations, which can be led by a tour guide, an escort, or be self-guided....
guidebook that he had never heard the name in his lifetime of developing the area. To him it had always been known as the "Grapevine Inn", due to the decorations around the front door. An 1895 photograph appears to show them.