Stoodley's Tavern

Last crawled date: 1 year, 6 months ago

French and Indian War veteran James Stoodley ran a tavern known as The King's Arms, which was the setting for several scenes in the 1930's historical novel, 'Northwest Passage' by Kenneth Roberts. Unfortunately, that building burned to the ground in 1761. Stoodley immediately rebuilt, commissioning half African-American housewright Hopestill Cheswell,who constructed the tavern which stands today. At least two slave auctions were held here, in 1762 and 1767 It was a meeting place for Masons and revolutionaries, and, in 1774, Paul Revere warned of British troops on their way to secure the arms at nearby Fort William and Mary, prompting local Patiots to raid the fort and seize the weapons, four months before the Battles of Lexington and Concord. In 1813, the tavern almost succumbed to another fire, which destroyed all the buildings on the opposite side of Daniel Street, its' original location. In 1964, another threat, Urban Renewal, nearly leveled it for a new federal courthouse, but in 1966, funds were raised to move it to Strawbery Banke, where it was restored and adapted for use as a youth learning center. A historic postcard of Stoodley's Tavern in it's original location can be seen at: http://seacoastnh.com/yesterdayandtoday/yt045.html And information on it's role in African-American history and Portsmouth's Black History Trail is at: http://seacoastnh.com/blackhistory/trail2.html #American_Revolution #New_Hampshire #Paul_Revere #Portsmouth #Strawbery_Banke #tavern