United States -- Social life and customs -- To 1775
Board was not very high at early inns; the prices were regulated by the
different towns. In 1633 the Salem innkeeper could only have sixpence
for a meal. This was at the famous Anchor Tavern, which was kept as a
hostelry for nearly two centuries. At the Ship Tavern, board, lodging,
wine at dinner, and beer between meals cost three shillings a day. Great
care was taken by the magistrates to choose responsible men and women to
keep taverns, and they would not permit too many taverns in one town. At
first the tavern-keeper could not sell sack (which was sherry), nor
stronger intoxicating liquor to travellers, but he could sell beer,
provided it was good, for a penny a quart. Nor could he sell cakes or
buns except at a wedding or funeral. He could not allow games to be
played, nor singing or dancing to take place.
We know from Shakespeare's plays that the different rooms in English
inns had names. This was also the custom in New England. The Star
Chamber, Rose and Sun Chamber, Blue Chamber, Jerusalem Chamber, were
some of them. Many of the taverns of Revolutionary days and some of
colonial times are still standing. A few have even been taverns since
first built; others have served many other uses. A well-preserved old
house, built in 1690 in Sudbury, Massachusetts, was originally known as
the Red Horse Tavern, but has acquired greater fame as the Wayside Inn
of Longfellow's Tales. Its tap-room with raftered ceiling and cage-like
bar with swinging gate is a picturesque room, and is one of the few old
tap-rooms left unaltered in New England.
Every inn had a name, usually painted on its swinging sign-board, with
some significant emblem. These names were simply repetitions of old
English tavern-signs until Revolutionary days, when patriotic landlords
eagerly invented and adopted names significant of the new nation. The
scarlet coat of King George became the blue and buff of George
Washington; and the eagle of the United States took the place of the
British lion.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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