Rhode Island, like many other New England colonies, decided that a central meetinghouse was necessary to conduct public business in the self-governing New World. These public houses had myriad functions, including the setting of council meetings and trials, a place for strangers to congregate and a venue for entertainment in the form of beer and strong spirits. The Mowry Tavern, most remembered for a sinister crime committed just feet from its door, is one of the oldest in the state. Other notables include the White Horse Tavern and the Sabin Tavern, which is associated with the burning of the
Gaspee. Historian Robert A. Geake chronicles the lore confined within the walls of the Ocean State’s most historic taverns.
Background Information
Rhode Island was founded by Roger Williams and other refugees from religious intolerance in Massachusetts. The Gaspee was a ship of the Royal Navy that Rhode Island patriots captured and burned in Narragansett Bay in 1772, provoking a strong British reaction.
