National Register of Historic Places

Black Horse Tavern

Old Saybrook, Middlesex County, Connecticut
Listed
December 1, 1978
Type
Building
Period
Early Republic
Ref No.
78002851

About this property

The Black Horse Tavern is a historic building at 175 North Cove Road in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, built around 1712 by John Burrows. The 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame structure is one of few early 18th-century buildings still standing in Connecticut, built on land that was among the earliest settled in the area. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The Black Horse Tavern is located near the eastern end of Saybrook Point, a peninsula dividing North and South Coves on the west side of the Connecticut River near its mouth at Long Island Sound. The tavern's location is a short distance west of the site of Fort Saybrook, the first element of the Saybrook Colony built in 1635. The tavern is a 2+1⁄2-story timber-framed structure, with a gabled roof and slightly off-center chimney. Its main facade is four bays wide, with the entrance in the center-left bay; the chimney is positioned behind the entrance. The entrance features an original vertical board door and is flanked by pilasters and topped by a half-round fanlight, sheltered by a gabled portico. The interior layout has a large front-to-back chamber to the right of the chimney, and a parlor and kitchen to the left and behind. The tavern was built about 1712 by John Burrows on land originally deeded to John Clark Sr. in 1644. The North Cove was then coming into use as a shipbuilding center, and the tavern operated by Burrows would have served its workers and travelers moving on the river. North Cove Road was then also the major road following the western shore of the river, another source of passing travelers. The building served as a tavern under a variety of owners until 1924, and it is now a private residence. National Register of Historic Places listings in Middlesex County, Connecticut

Location

Old Saybrook, Middlesex County, Connecticut
41.28909, -72.35501

Categories

TRANSPORTATIONEXPLORATION/SETTLEMENTARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Tully, William, House
Industrial
0.1 mi
North Cove Historic District
Listed
0.2 mi
Connecticut Valley Railroad Roundhouse and Turntable Site
Industrial
0.4 mi
Cypress Cemetery
Listed
0.4 mi
Eliot, Samuel, House
Industrial
0.8 mi

Questions about this property

When was Black Horse Tavern listed on the National Register?

Black Horse Tavern was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 1, 1978.

What type of historic resource is Black Horse Tavern?

Black Horse Tavern is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Black Horse Tavern?

The period of significance for Black Horse Tavern is recorded as the early_republic era.

Can I research the history near Black Horse Tavern?

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