Eat, drink, and rest your legs, as we tell you the tale of West Windsor’s historic inns and taverns — plus plans to celebrate our country’s 250th birthday, and West Windsor’s historic role in our nation’s founding.
The year 2026 marks 250 years since many of our nation’s Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence, asserting sovereignty from British colonial rule.
While many of these meetings were held in seminal government buildings like Independence Hall in Philadelphia, another popular venue for social and political discourse during the Revolution were inns and taverns throughout the colonies.
You can find many old inns and taverns scattered throughout New Jersey — including in West Windsor, each with a unique and fascinating story.
So fascinating, in fact, that on March 17, at 7 p.m., the nonprofit Historical Society of West Windsor plans to present a free virtual lecture — “Pints of the Past” – on their stories.
Goosed to Canada
Did you know that one of West Windsor’s earliest known taverns stood in the Edinburg district and was run by a suspected British loyalist named Thomas Hooper?
Although he likely hosted town meetings for years, his loyalist sympathies infuriated his neighbors, who ended up killing his wife while he was scoping out a place in Canada to which his family could flee.
A published book covers his family’s subsequent escape, and his property’s seizure by the local government and subsequent sale to a veteran of Washington’s army.
Have you heard the tale of Widow Bergen’s Tavern? This building in the Dutch Neck area of town was once owned by a transatlantic counterfeiting ring.
When their members were finally imprisoned, this inn, too, was auctioned off — to yet another Revolutionary War veteran who owned many public houses in Princeton, Trenton, and Philadelphia, including the 9th capitol building of the United States.
Widow Bergen’s tavern also functioned as West Windsor’s first-ever town hall for many years.
Were you aware that a former inn in West Windsor is on the National Register of Historic Places?
The Red Lion Inn in Penns Neck served locals and travelers alike for over 70 years, before being converted into a parsonage for the church next door — much to the relief of temperance-minded parishioners.
Younger inns and taverns have unique stories as well. One from the early was owned by the very individual after whom the community of Clarksville and Clarksville Road were named.
There were also those from the mid-1800s along the Delaware and Raritan Canal, in the Port Mercer or Princeton Basin communities. In the 1920s to 1930s, several more functioned as speakeasies, which were sometimes the subject of federal Prohibition raids. And another, built in the 1930s, now functions as a Korean community church.
All this and more will be explored in “Pints of the Past.” Register for this March 17 lecture at the Historical Society of West Windsor’s website: westwindsorhistory.com.
Revolution West Windsor: the 250th
But wait — there’s much more! “Pints of the Past” is just one of over two dozen events falling under the Revolution West Windsor calendar.
This framework envisions community events throughout the year, hosted by the Historical Society and other community groups: West Windsor Arts, West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance, West Windsor Community Farmers’ Market, West Windsor Lions Club, West Windsor Volunteer Fire Co., Princeton Junction Volunteer Fire Co., West Windsor Recreation and Parks Princeton chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and West Windsor Township itself.
From parades to lectures, tours art exhibits, concerts, dances, festivals, memorial services, time capsules, movies, plaque installations, and more, this year will be filled with something for everyone. Revolution West Windsor will engage all ages, perspectives, nationalities, and backgrounds in exploring and commemorating the founding of our nation, and West Windsor’s unique role.
Did you know that a capture of British troops in West Windsor likely helped Washinton win the Second Battle of Trenton and the Battle of Princeton, which in turn helped save the Revolution during its darkest hours?
Or that Washington marched through town, just weeks after British and Hessians raided and destroyed area farms? Are you aware of the soldiers who fought, the deeper themes of freedom and independence (especially in the context of local slavery), and the historic Revolution-related sites that still exist within West Windsor Township’s borders?
And what about the Declaration of Independence signer who owned about 300 acres where the Mercer Oaks Golf Course now exists?
Learn much more about this history, and what’s in store for Revolution West Windsor, at the Historical Society of West Windsor’s website: westwindsorhistory.com.
Bring on the Revolution!
The West Windsor Historical Society is an all-volunteer community nonprofit. Web: westwindsorhistory.com.
