Colonial Taverns of New Jersey (Hybrid)
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. 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. George Washington used taverns as headquarters, where he drafted his many letters and planned strategy with his generals. They were the “seedbeds” for the revolution, strongholds for political activities, beacons for travelers, and venues for entertainment, merriment, and libations.
Each day in the Garden State, we literally walk along the Crossroads of the Revolution in the footprints of our forebearers—a legacy that lies just below the surface of our everyday lives. The ghosts that linger on these byways sustain our state’s collective heritage. Individual sketches of people, places and events presented in this book are illuminating, but when assembled as a whole from numerous sources, a more complete, colorful mosaic emerges—a grassroots saga of New Jersey’s Revolutionary spirit and colonial life. This mosaic, this saga is the foundation of our state’s living history. Michael C. Gabriele’s new book, Colonial Taverns of New Jersey, documents this living history.
Michael C. Gabriele: A lifelong Garden State resident, Gabriele is a 1975 graduate of Montclair State University and 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.