The Martin Weigand Tavern in the City of Newburgh was a historic property allowed to deteriorate to a point where it was almost beyond repair. It’s now getting a new life.
Located on Liberty Street, it’s a relic of the American Revolution where many Revolutionary notables spent time. The tavern was also the center of political life in early Newburgh. It stands today at the Northwest corner of the Old Town Cemetery as it has for over two centuries.
According to E.M. Ruttenber’s History of Newburgh (1859), the structure we view today was the second tavern owned by Martin Weigand a direct descendant of the original Palatines. The Palatines settled what is known today as Newburgh. His first tavern was located on “Liberty Street at Broad Street.” However, about 1780 he moved his tavern up Liberty Street to its present location.
This second tavern was larger and could house more patrons. It continued to be the place where court was held for Newburgh. We know that Cornelius Hasbrouck the son of Colonel Jonathan Hasbrouck spent time in the tavern. He was a witness in the Elnathan Foster case cited in the Clinton Papers. It was in the upstairs portion of the tavern that justices would have heard the case. In addition, the tavern was a place of rendezvous for the local militia.
James Donnelly, in his recollections as a child during the American Revolution, and printed in Ruttenber’s book, remembered Continental soldiers as well as local militiamen spending time at the tavern. This is especially true when the Continental Army was a short distance away in New Windsor as well as at General Washington’s Headquarters in Newburgh in 1782-1783. Ruttenber wrote in his History of Newburgh that Donnelly believed General Anthony Wayne made his headquarters in the upstairs of the tavern.
This has been disputed over the years. Some years later, Donnelly’s daughter, who was eighty years old in 1909, swore that her father was correct. It was a source of much consternation during her time because it could not be substantiated. A well-known individual who did frequent the tavern was Wolfert Acker. He was chairman of the Newburgh Committee of Safety during the American Revolution.
When Weigand died in 1792, he was buried in the Old Town Cemetery near his tavern. The Wool family took over the tavern. Ruttenber continues that General John E. Wool, a four star general in the U.S. Army who served in the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, and the Civil War, was born in the tavern. In 1812 it was taken over, according to Al Rhoades in his column in the Newburgh Evening News, by “a man named Farnum” and also became the local “headquarters for the Federalist Party.”
Eventually the old tavern became just another home with an interesting history. In 1909 The Newburgh Telegram reported that the Small Family lived there and before the Small’s it was the Coss’s home for a time. A. Elwood Corning, late City of Newburgh Historian, wrote that the home seemed to have continued its connection to war from the Revolution, through the Civil War with General Wool right to World War I when the home belonged to the Finnegan family. Their son was sent off to the First World War and had the distinction of being the last Orange County, New York soldier to die in that war.
The tavern continued to be a home through 1959 and by the mid-1960s fell on hard times. It did not fare well into the 1970s as it had stood abandoned for more than a few years as Newburgh, like many inner cities in America during the 1960s and early 1970s, started to decline. A developer emerged in 1971 with the desire to purchase the old tavern, but by 1972 hope turned to despair, as the developer withdrew his request to the bewilderment of the city. As the nation’s bicentennial loomed citizen groups rallied to save the historic tavern before it was too late.
Instead of saving the tavern it was announced that the tavern would be sold at the city tax auction. However, at the last moment it was taken off the list. The Chairman of The Bicentennial Commission, in 1976, believed that the sum to restore the home would be between 50,000 to 75,000 dollars. He told a Newburgh paper that he did not have those kinds of funds. He believed the house was in a near “state of collapse.” It seemed it was doomed.
The following year, 1977, a British developer and home restorer offered to buy the property. He too wanted to move the old tavern but this time to Newburgh Landing to set up a restaurant and shop. He envisioned a little historic type village that would attract tourists. This plan too fell through, yet another entrepreneur raised hopes wishing to move the home from Liberty Street to his own property a short distance away. It seemed too late as a wall collapsed from neglect as well as a leaking water pipe. This appears to have been the closest that the over two hundred year old structure came to being saved, until now.
Today the tavern no longer stands vacant and boarded-up. The old Weigand Tavern recently changed hands and there are plans afoot for a refurbished tavern (here’s a photo showing what it looked like in 2018).
This summer an archeological survey is being done at the property and this week a dig there has turned up numerous artifacts. The owners have rebuilt the tavern and although they were unable to save much of the structure, they do appear to be taking the historic nature of the project seriously. You can see photos from the dig and a look at the tavern today here.
Read more stories about Newburgh here.
Photo: Weigand’s Tavern in 2013 (courtesy A.J. Schenkman).
This article was first published in 2013, but has been updated to reflect recent developments.
Where’s the real estate listing for this property? That would be helpful.
Orange County records show that the City of Newburgh owns this.
The city of newburgh owns it, it’s doomed
This is not the original tavern. It’s an urban legend. This building was constructed in the early 19th century and was verified as such by New York SHIPO. Newburg has many architectural significant structures in need of salvation with historic significance. Unfortunately this building is old but not as the tavern. We need to be positive in making assumptions and bring to light the buildings that have tremendous importance and lacking the attention so deserved.
Giovanni:
Thank you for your thoughtful reply. Please see what the Newburgh City Historian, Mary McTamaney, wrote on Newburgh Restoration on the subject. What buildings would you like to see saved? I think Ms. Porr’s idea about the Reeve house is a good one.
“Weigand’s Tavern building at the northwest corner of Old Town Cemetery is Martin Weigand’s second tavern. His original colonial tavern was on the north side of Broad Street just east of Liberty. That first structure was a log cabin enlarged with a clapboard addition. When Weigand built his new tavern at the foot of Gidney Avenue during the War for Independence, his old Broad Street home and tavern was used by General Anthony Wayne. That Broad Street home is also where General John Wool was born and lived as a small boy. Wool served in the army from the War of 1812 through the Civil War with a long and fascinating career, including heroics in the Mexican War and sadness commanding troops moving the Cherokee away from North Carolina. He also commanded the NY City garrison during the Civil War draft riots and begged for help to avert them – help that his command never sent in time.
The building now at 326 Liberty St. Has been inspected in recent years by the state office of historic preservation and declared to have none of its 18th century fabric. It was used from about 1780 through 1960 as a tavern, hotel, store, meeting room, private home. It’s longest resident from the 1910′s through 1940′s was a blacksmith named John Clydesdale.
The collapsing structure has had many good wishes and intentions during its vacant years since the 1960′s but never the money nor viable plan to move, adapt or save it.”
This is not an urban legend. My great-grandfather bought this house in 1912. It wasn’t new or refurbished, rather an addition was put on it in the early 19th century. It was quite old. My family photos show the inn throughout history. It was a very old place in 1912. My father was born there in 1925 and lived there until 1942 when he entered WWII. My great-grandfather owned a blacksmith shop near the Balmville tree and made the daily trek.
Robert,
Thank you for posting this. I would love to see some of these pictures! Wow! Thank you for sharing!
Sincerely,
AJ
A.J. Schenkman,
I am a descendant of Martin Weigand, his brother, Tobias, my 4g’s grandpa. Thank you for your blog, and interest in the Weigand Tavern! Genealogy is so fascinating! For me to discover my ancestors had a hand in planting a few roots in growing our freedom in this country, both amazes and thrills me! (Tobias fought in the Revolutionary war; his son, William, my 3g’s grandpa from Tobias’s 2nd, much later marriage, fought in the Civil War).
I am curious about Robert Clydesdale’s photos — was he willing to share any of those with you? If so, I’m wondering if you’d possibly done a follow up blog, or have any information concerning historic images of the Tavern.
Sincerely,
J. Weygint R.
Hello Joleen:
You would have to ask Robert. The pictures I used were taken by me. I have not done any follow up articles. However, I might be doing one in the future.
Sincerely,
AJ
Hello Robert,
I found this blog last night looking for something totally different and had to see if this contact still works! I believe we have a family connection. Visiting my grandmother (1950’s) on Liberty St., we would walk to this house to visit Bessie and Cy. Bessie was my grandmother’s cousin and she would send us back with boxes raspberries. I remember going in and even then noticing the age of the house. Have always loved history and having many deep connections to historical Newburgh probably helped! If you get this, please drop me a line and we can compare notes! Thanks so much!! DJ
A Newburgh Weigand descendant here in southern California. Check out information on Newburgh from time to time. Would be great to save the place as well as so many others that seem to be throughout the area. Hope to visit some day. Save and preserve for the future, look what happened to Brooklyn.
FYI that is, in no way, a current photo of the tavern. i live here and was just over at the tavern today; the portion on the left is totally missing, the whole thing is sagging, in horrible disrepair, has holes and apparently not much of a roof since the whole thing is covered by a tarp. It’s a nice picture that you’ve shown, but it appears to be more from circa 1960 something. and i wish people wouldn’t dissenble on this topic; it either IS or is NOT a historic tavern. saying that it is and then saying that it has none of it’s 18th century “fabric” (never heard that term, doesn’t even make sense) just muddies the waters. i’d like to know if it’s a Revolutionary war era tavern or NOT, please.
The use of the term ‘fabric’ to indicate building components or even an entire structure dates as far back as the 1800’s, if not earlier. Today it is usually seen in official reports on historic structures, but it survives in common usage.
Gregory Hubbard
This belonged to my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather’s family. I would love more information on acquiring this property if for no other reason than to honor my family. If anyone knows anything additional please contact me. I stumbled upon this while doing the families geneology.
Hi Weygant descendants, Martin was my 6th Great Grandfather’s nephew. The original spelling from Germany was Weygandt, but the English wrote it down phonetically on the census which is why there are so many variants. There are still Weygants in the Newburgh area, along with a branch in Marlboro, and Monroe. I would love to see those Clydesdale photos. Martin’s grandfather was the original owner of the property on which Washington’s headquarters sits. Michael the original 1709 Palatine settler sold the land and moved to Pennsylvania with his daughter as the land was not suitable enough for farming.