National Register of Historic Places

Aiken's Tavern Historic District

Newark, New Castle County, Delaware
Listed
December 6, 1977
Type
District
Period
Early Republic
Ref No.
77000388

About this property

Aiken's Tavern Historic District is a historic district in New Castle County, Delaware, comprising the historic center of the village of Glasgow. The district includes the site of Aiken's Tavern, an important landmark at the time of the American Revolutionary War. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. The district is located just west of the intersection of U.S. Route 40 and Delaware Route 896. Its boundaries encompass a 300-yard (270 m) stretch of Glasgow Avenue, mostly to the north of U.S. 40 but also including the Mechanic's Row block in the median of the highway. The village of Glasgow developed at what was and still is an important crossroads in Pencader Hundred. The area was initially settled as part of the 30,000-acre (12,000 ha) Welsh Tract granted to a group of settlers from Wales in 1701, and a Presbyterian church was established shortly thereafter. A tavern was also built and became known as Aiken's Tavern after one of its owners. During the American Revolution, British forces under William Howe occupied the village following the September 1777 Battle of Cooch's Bridge, setting up their headquarters in the tavern and establishing a temporary field hospital at Pencader Church. The crossroads grew increasingly busy after the completion of the New Castle and Frenchtown Turnpike (since replaced by U.S. Route 40) in 1818, and many of the surviving buildings in the historic district date from approximately the same era. The tavern itself was demolished in 1832. Named contributing properties in the district include Pencader Presbyterian Church, built on the site of an earlier church building in 1852, and an adjacent frame house The Middleton House, built sometime before 1818, and a nearby frame shop building Mechanic's Row, a block of houses built around 1810 A three-story brick house listed as the "Manse" (c. 1850) Two other contributing properties, Glasgow Methodist Church and a second frame house located near Pencader Church, are no longer standing.

Location

Newark, New Castle County, Delaware
39.60645, -75.74536

Categories

MILITARYARCHITECTURERELIGION
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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Overview
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The Land
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Geology
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Conflict & War
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The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
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Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
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Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
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Finds & Access
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Literature
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Spotlight
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Nearby Historic Sites

La Grange
Industrial
0.2 mi
Stewart, James, House
Industrial
1.7 mi
New Castle and Frenchtown Railroad Right-of-Way
Listed
2 mi
Iron Hill School No. 112C
Industrial
2 mi
African Union Church and Cemetery of Iron Hill
Civil War
2 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Cooch's Bridge (Delaware)
1777Revolutionary War
4.6 mi
Battle of Iron Hill
1777Revolutionary War
5.2 mi
Battle of Iron Hill (Cooch's Bridge approach)
1777Revolutionary War
5.3 mi
Battle of Cooch's Bridge (Delaware, 1777)
1777Revolutionary War
5.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Aiken's Tavern Historic District listed on the National Register?

Aiken's Tavern Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 6, 1977.

What type of historic resource is Aiken's Tavern Historic District?

Aiken's Tavern Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Aiken's Tavern Historic District?

The period of significance for Aiken's Tavern Historic District is recorded as the early_republic era.

Can I research the history near Aiken's Tavern Historic District?

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