Fraunces Tavern Museum

This unique museum/restaurant combo, a complex of four early-18th-century structures, is an homage to the nation-shaping events of 1783 – when the British left New York at the end of the Revolutionary War and General George Washington gave a farewell speech to his officers – all in the context of the Queen’s Head Tavern. Owned by Samuel Fraunces, this was the most popular watering hole of its day, and the site of many historic moments.

The site was originally built as a tony residence for merchant Stephen Delancey’s family; barkeeper Samuel Fraunces purchased it in 1762, turning it into a tavern in honor of the American victory in the Revolutionary War. It was in the 2nd-floor dining room on December 4, 1783, that George Washington bade farewell to the officers of the Continental Army after the British relinquished control of New York City. After the war, when New York was the nation’s first capital, the space was used by the Departments of War, Treasury and Foreign Affairs. The tavern was closed and fell into disuse in the 19th century – and soon after was damaged during several massive fires that destroyed most colonial buildings and Dutch-built structures in the area. In 1904, the Sons of the Revolution, a historical society, bought the building and returned it to an approximation of its colonial-era look – an act believed to be the first major attempt at historical preservation in the USA.

Today the museum hosts historical walking tours, lectures and exhibits both permanent and visiting, such as a display of the 1215 Magna Carta, which arrived with much fanfare.