If the East Room of the Pennsylvania State House is the official meeting place of the Constitutional Convention, then the taverns and inns are its unofficial meeting places. Among Philadelphia’s finest taverns are the Indian Queen, Cross Keys Tavern, and the City Tavern where many delegates have taken rooms. Taverns are the central meeting places throughout the United States where business transactions take place, news and information are shared, and political discussions abound.
The finest taverns include a coffee room, large dining room, small private dining rooms, large ballroom, guest rooms for lodging and, of course, a pub. In Philadelphia, the three-story City Tavern, built in 1773, is the city’s political and business center and was, at the time of its opening, the most elegant building in the city.
Built at the behest of a group of prominent citizens “for the convenience and credit of the city,” it houses several large club rooms, two of which can be combined to make one large room of nearly fifty feet. Two large kitchens are staffed to prepare food and drink for customers and those who lodge temporarily in “several commodious lodging rooms.” Downstairs are a Bar and a Coffee Room, well supplied with British and American magazines, newspapers, and pamphlets.
From its beginning, the elegant Long Room on the second floor has been the scene of numerous stylish balls, musical performances, dramatic readings, and meetings of the Jockey Club, the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, and other social and civic groups. Adjoining the Long Room are several private dining rooms. It was in the Long Room in May 1774 that a group of citizens met to draft Pennsylvania’s response to the Intolerable Acts imposed on the colonies by the British. Three years later, in 1777, in the same room, the Continental Congress celebrated the first Fourth of July.
When John Adams arrived in Philadelphia in August 1774 to attend the First Continental Congress, he described the City Tavern as “the most genteel tavern in America.” He and others lodged here during the First Continental Congress that year and during the Second Continental Congress, Edmund Randolph, George Washington, Richard Henry Lee, Caesar Rodney, George Read and several others met daily at “their table.”
For more than a decade, the City Tavern has been a familiar meeting place for America’s leaders of liberty and union, with one intervening political “hitch.” It seems that Daniel Smith, the first manager of the City Tavern, proved to be a Loyalist when the British occupied Philadelphia in September 1777. When they left the following June, “Little Smith,” as he was known, went with them! The new manager, Gilford Dally, was a true patriot and helped organize the event celebrating the city’s liberation.*
Since he arrived in Philadelphia on May 13, Washington has dined several times at the City Tavern, including last Tuesday, June 12, when he attended a benefit concert for Alexander Reinagle, an English-born American composer, organist, and theater musician. As a young man he became friends with Mozart and was influenced in his music by Mozart, Haydn, and Clementi. Although he earned a living in the shipping business, in 1786 he moved to America, hoping to establish a career in music. Making his home in Philadelphia, he soon counted among his admirers George Washington. Later, he will compose a “Chorus” which will be performed for Washington as he passes through Trenton, New Jersey, on the way to his inauguration as President. Upon Washington’s death in 1799, Reinagle will compose “Monody on the Death of George Washington.”*
Last evening, after the contentious debate in the State House, Washington again “dined with the Club at City Tavern.” This morning, he “went to church. Heard Bishop White preach and saw him ordain two gentlemen Deacons – after which rid 8 miles into the Country and dined with Mr. Jno. Ross in Chester County. Returned in the afternoon.”
As we learned earlier in this series, Bishop William White is the first Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church of the United States. Born in Philadelphia, he attended Philadelphia College (later the University of Pennsylvania) and was ordained deacon and priest in two separate ceremonies, both held in the Royal Chapel of St. James Palace in London. Earlier this year, 1787, he was consecrated bishop at Lambeth Palace Chapel by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Like all but one of his fellow Anglican clerics in Philadelphia, White chose the patriot side in the rebellion against the British and served as chaplain for the Continental Congress. Later, he will serve as the second chaplain to the new United States Senate. He will also consecrate the first two African Americans as Episcopal deacons and priests – Absalom Jones in Philadelphia and William Levington in New York. When yellow fever will spread like wildfire throughout Philadelphia in the early 1790s, White and Dr. Benjamin Rush will be among the few prominent citizens to remain in the city to tend to the sick.
This year, 1787, construction on the bishop’s home was completed. White chose the location on Walnut Street between 3rd and 4th because it is midway between the two churches he serves, Christ Church and St. Peter’s. White will live here until his death in 1863 and the Bishop White House will become an historical landmark, containing many items that actually belonged to him. Perhaps the most interesting piece is the inside “necessary,” an uncommon feature in most homes today when such conveniences are generally found in the back yard or near the garden.
*Reconstructed several times over the decades, the City Tavern remains open to serve A Taste of History. www.thecitytavern.com
**Alexander Reinagle’s music can be heard by various performers on YouTube.