Newcom Tavern
Encyclopedia
Newcom Tavern, also known as the "Old Cabin", is a historic structure in Dayton, Ohio. It was built in 1796 by Colonel George Newcom, one of the first settlers in Dayton after the Treaty of Greenville
(1795). It was established as the New Jersey Land Company, under the leadership of Jonathan Dayton
, with partners General Wilkinson, General St. Clair and Colonel Ludlow, employed surveyors to lay out a town site between the two Miami river
s. The Newcom Tavern, built by Robert Edgar
, was the first structure in the area. Edgar received seventy-five cents a day for its construction.
The house originally consisted of two rooms: one upstairs and one downstairs, and was located at what became the southwest corner of Main and Water (later Monument) Streets, where "it stood there for almost a century." The size of the cabin was doubled two years after it was built and it served as Dayton's first school, first church, courthouse, council chamber and store. It was best known as a crossroads tavern in the Northwest Territory for all wagon men and drovers
.
In 1894 when architect Charles Insco Williams
"tried to raze it to make way for an apartment building" when the logs beneath the clapboards were found to be those of the old Newcom Tavern. In 1896 the Centennial Celebration Committee helped move the structure to Van Cleve Park on Monument Avenue and the Daughters of the American Revolution
raised money to restore it. In 1896 it was opened as a public museum and held relics donated by Daytonians.
Treaty of Greenville
The Treaty of Greenville was signed at Fort Greenville , on August 3, 1795, between a coalition of Native Americans & Frontiers men, known as the Western Confederacy, and the United States following the Native American loss at the Battle of Fallen Timbers. It put an end to the Northwest Indian War...
(1795). It was established as the New Jersey Land Company, under the leadership of Jonathan Dayton
Jonathan Dayton
Jonathan Dayton was an American politician from the U.S. state of New Jersey. He was the youngest person to sign the United States Constitution and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, serving as the fourth Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and later the U.S. Senate...
, with partners General Wilkinson, General St. Clair and Colonel Ludlow, employed surveyors to lay out a town site between the two Miami river
Great Miami River
The Great Miami River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long, in southwestern Ohio in the United States...
s. The Newcom Tavern, built by Robert Edgar
Robert Edgar
Robert Edgar may refer to:*Robert Allan Edgar , U.S. federal judge*Robert W. Edgar , former U.S. representative from Pennsylvania...
, was the first structure in the area. Edgar received seventy-five cents a day for its construction.
The house originally consisted of two rooms: one upstairs and one downstairs, and was located at what became the southwest corner of Main and Water (later Monument) Streets, where "it stood there for almost a century." The size of the cabin was doubled two years after it was built and it served as Dayton's first school, first church, courthouse, council chamber and store. It was best known as a crossroads tavern in the Northwest Territory for all wagon men and drovers
Droving
Droving is the practice of moving livestock over large distances by walking them "on the hoof".Droving stock to market, usually on foot and often with the aid of dogs, has a very long history in the old world...
.
In 1894 when architect Charles Insco Williams
Charles Insco Williams
Charles Insco Williams was an artist and architect in Dayton, Ohio.-Biography:He was born on December 12, 1853 to Mary Forman and John Insco Williams. His father seems to have been an accomplished painter. At sixteen he moved with his parents to Cincinnati and graduated from the Chickering...
"tried to raze it to make way for an apartment building" when the logs beneath the clapboards were found to be those of the old Newcom Tavern. In 1896 the Centennial Celebration Committee helped move the structure to Van Cleve Park on Monument Avenue and the Daughters of the American Revolution
Daughters of the American Revolution
The Daughters of the American Revolution is a lineage-based membership organization for women who are descended from a person involved in United States' independence....
raised money to restore it. In 1896 it was opened as a public museum and held relics donated by Daytonians.