What was advertised in a revolutionary American newspaper 250 years ago today?
“A TAVERN … at the sign of General Washington.”
In the fall of 1776, William Brewster opened a new tavern “a few rods back of the state-house in Portsmouth,” New Hampshire. When he marketed this new enterprise in an advertisement in the September 28 edition of the Freeman’s Journal, he reminded prospective customers that he “has for many years kept a house of Entertainment for the members of the Hon. General Court, and other Gentlemen of distinction.” Patrons of his new establishment could expect to be “accommodated with genteel Lodgings, a good table, [and] the best Liquors the times afford” as well as “good stabling for horses.” Brewster would devote “constant attendance” to the endeavor. He hoped that his efforts in offering hospitality would “merit the approbation of all good customers.”
Although Brewster relied on his prior experience when he opened this tavern, he did incorporate something new. He informed the public that “the sign of General Washington,” the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, marked the tavern’s location. It was an act of veneration for one of the heroes of the American Revolution, like William Adock selling handkerchiefs with likenesses of Washington and John Hancock, the president of the Continental Congress, in Philadelphia. It was also part of a trend of reshaping the landscape with new images that embraced an American identity. In Boston, John Newell offered “ENTERTAINMENT for Gentlemen and keeping for Horses, at the sign of the YANKEE HERO,” placing an advertisement in the New-England Chronicle not long after the siege of the city ended when British forces evacuated to Halifax. At about the same time, Daniel Jones ran advertisements for the “AMERICAN COFFEE HOUSE, at the sign of the Golden Eagle,” in Boston. Prior to the outbreak of the war, many cities and towns had a London Coffee House where residents gathered to socialize, discuss politics, and conduct business. An “AMERICAN COFFEE HOUSE” in Boston signified pride in the new nation as former colonizers abandoned the British identity they had formerly embraced in favor creating an American identity. Brewster’s decision to name his new tavern after General Washington was part of that process.