Washington Heights & Inwood Online

Since colonial times, local taverns and public houses have served food and drink to residents and weary travelers who have passed through the northernmost part of Manhattan. These establishments have served as toll houses for the various routes that these travelers were on or going to use, such as the Albany, Kingsbridge and Boston Post roads.

The term “pub” as we know it today is a term that had its origins in colonial days as a “Publick House.” These buildings were the mainstay of those who needed a place to go to for information or for travelers who wished to stay the night. Board games such as backgammon and chess were made available. Card games of all types were played as well. Newspapers were made available by the tavern owners for the public to read.

Taverns were used by farmers and landowners alike. They stayed at these establishments until their farms or estates were ready to move into. Farmers who brought produce or cattle for other areas for sale lodged at the taverns.

Many of these taverns that were in the country had gardens that were frequently used in good weather. Puppet shows, concerts and musical entertainment were staged for the benefit of guests and community residents alike.

These taverns also served for meetings and auctions and played an important role in local politics. Local merchants came to conduct business at these establishments over a drink or meal. Many of the owners of these taverns had other positions in the community and helped to foment the American Revolution by raising opposition to the officials of the Crown.

Drinks of all types were served at the taverns. Beer and ale were the most common. The drink known as the “flip” came from the glasses they were served in. It consisted of sweetened rum, beer or ale heated by inserting a hot poker into it. The modern interpretation of the flip is a rich, frothy drink that can be enjoyed all year round and does not require to be heated at all. The modern recipe calls for eggs, sugar, half-and-half, whiskey and grated nutmeg. Other drinks that may have been served were Possets and Syllabubs.

Unfortunately there were those who overindulged themselves and became very drunk. Drunkenness was considered very serious. There were many who were prosecuted but few were convicted, and no one was brought before magistrates with enough evidence. Most of these cases were informal proceedings. Most New Yorkers in the 1700s maintained that this problem was due to the lack of potable drinking water.

Many of the first taverns were constructed along the waterfront to serve seamen and locals alike. Ferry landings had them too. In time, as other taverns were built inland, the older taverns catered to laborers, whereas the newer taverns served the middle and upper classes.

During this period, many of the taverns and inns had sleeping accommodations. Unfortunately, due to limited space, there were as many as 4 to 5 people per bed. If the beds were full, burlap bags filled with goose or chicken feathers were used as mattresses. There were separate rooms for men and women. Depending on the tavern, women stayed at the homes of local clergy or with friends of the owner while the men lodged at the tavern. As people gathered into the beds, they would introduce themselves to the others. Bed bugs were a common problem, leading to the phrase, “Sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite.”

Politicians who traveled between their constituencies and their offices, in either the State Capital or in Washington, DC, often stayed overnight at taverns, thus contributing to the phrase, “Politics makes strange bedfellows.”

One of the earliest inns in this part of northern Manhattan was the Blue Bell Tavern. It was built between 1725 and 1730 on what is now the northwest corner of 181st Street and Broadway. In 1753, Lieutenant-Governor Cadwalader Colden made reference to the Blue Bell, saying that the food and lodgings were comfortable.

During the American Revolution, the Blue Bell Tavern was used at various times by the Americans, British and Hessians. Courts-martial were conducted at the Blue Bell. After the war local citizens returned to the tavern. On June 10, 1784, the proprietor of the tavern tried to revive business by advertising in the New York Packet.

The Blue Bell passed through various hands and was rebuilt on various occasions. The building was dismantled in 1915 to make way for the RKO Coliseum Theater. During the construction of the theater, remnants of the Blue Bell could be seen, such as the Dutch tiles that could have graced the fireplace.

The property on which the Morris-Jumel Mansion is located at 160th Street and Edgecombe Avenue was erected in 1755 as a summer villa for Colonel Roger Morris and his wife. At the outbreak of hostilities of the American Revolution, Colonel Morris and his family left New York for England. The house was confiscated by the Commission of Forfeiture. After the war the building was sold and became a tavern.

Between 1784 and 1799, the mansion was known as Calumet Hall. One of the dinner specialties was turtle soup. Parties were held in the Octagonal Room on the main floor. On July 10, 1790, President Washington returned to the building that was his former headquarters during the American Revolution. With him were members of his cabinet.

The Arrowhead Inn on 178th Street and Haven Avenue opened in 1908. Ben Riley, the proprietor of the establishment, came from Saratoga, New York, to start a business in New York City. One of the delicacies of the Inn was frog’s legs, which had been introduced to the patrons who frequented the restaurant. Such notables as “Diamond” Jim Brady and W.C. Fields were regulars.

The Arrowhead Inn was at a strategic location. Originally known as Depot Lane, 177th Street was a thoroughfare to the New York and Hudson River Railroad Company, which was organized in 1847 to connect New York City with upstate New York. A train station was located on the Hudson River at 177th Street, thus giving the street its name. Near the station was the West End Hotel in what is now Fort Washington Park.

Riley sold the structure and property to real estate developers in 1923 and relocated the restaurant to Riverdale Avenue and 246th Street in the Bronx and then moved to Yonkers. Riley died in 1944 after a fire destroyed the restaurant.

In the 1960s, the apartment buildings on the original site of the Arrowhead Inn were razed and a parking lot took its place. The site was purchased by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to become a park with the off-ramp from the George Washington Bridge connecting to the West Side Highway and 178th Street. On Cabrini Boulevard and 177th Street is a small playground with seating that is used by local residents.

The Black Horse Inn on Broadway and Dyckman Street was a quaint roadside tavern built in 1805 by Henry Norman. It was designed in the Dutch motif with double doors. In the front of the tavern were two floors and in the back one. The building was part stone and part wood frame with five bedroom chambers, fireplace and bake oven. During the construction of the tavern, many of the building supplies were taken from the ruins of neighborhood houses. Prior to its being dismantled, the Drennan family owned the building. Their daughter, Charlotte, made a scale model of the building showing its charm and appearance.

One of the local visiting spots during this period was a tavern operated by the Dyckman family. They owned a tavern called the Black Horse Inn located near McGown’s Pass in what is now Central Park. The Dyckman’s sold the Black Horse to finance a new operation on the west side of Broadway and 226th Street in Marble Hill, and was to be managed by Benjamin Palmer who owned property on City Island. It was situated to cater to the traffic from both the Kingsbridge and the Dyckman Free Bridge. In 1772, the Dyckmans sold the tavern to Caleb Hyatt and was known by the new owner’s name as Hyatt’s Tavern at the Free Bridge.

After the American Revolution ended, the tavern remained in the Hyatt family until 1807 when it was leased to James Devoe. The building was eventually razed and its successor was the Kingsbridge Hotel, which was located on the east side of Broadway and 226th Street.

The hotel had a mansard roof and a central turret. It catered to the anglers and sportsman who came to the area either by the Hudson River Railroad Company or boat service up the Harlem River. One of the meals served at the hotel was turtle dinner, which became a favorite of the guests. The hotel’s business declined when Broadway was widened and interest was lost in the community. The hotel fell into disrepair and was torn down in 1917.

Unfortunately all of these old taverns and inns have disappeared, but their memory is still in the minds and hearts of those who wish to keep them alive. One such organization is the Blue Bell Lumber Company. In the office is an old photograph of the Blue Bell Tavern which reminds the community of what was once a thriving enterprise.

Over the years the population of Manhattan has moved northward and the Washington Heights, Inwood and Marble Hill communities have changed from farms and estates to a residential area. New restaurants have opened to accommodate the ethnic backgrounds of the newer residents. Some have remained for decades; others have come and gone due to the ever-changing demographics.