Union Tavern
About this property
Union Tavern is a historic tavern and workshop on Broad Street in Milton, North Carolina. It is a rare example of a well-preserved early 19th-century Federal period tavern, and is further notable as the workshop of Thomas Day (c. 1801–1861), a free person of color who was one of North Carolina's leading cabinetmakers. The building was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1975. It is located in the Milton Historic District. The Union Tavern is located in the center of the rural community of Milton, on the south side of Broad Street (North Carolina Highway 57), between Palmer's Alley and Ler's Alley. It is a 2-1/2 story brick structure, set close to the road, with a gabled roof. Its front facade is six bays wide, with three entrances, each set in a round-arch opening with a fanlight above. Windows are rectangular sash, with stone sills and brick lintels. An enclosed single-story porch extends across the left (east) side, and there is a single-story ell to the rear. The interior of the building has retained some of its original features, despite repeated alteration of the rooms for different uses. Thomas Day was born in Virginia in 1801, a free person of color. By 1818 he had begun to work as a cabinetmaker, and in 1823 he moved to Milton, where he purchased and adapted this building as his studio and workshop. His skill as a craftsman was widely regarded: he catered to North Carolina's wealthiest residents, and was by mid-century operating the state's largest workshop. He was notable for training white apprentices, other free blacks, and the slaves of nearby slaveholders, and for his own ownership of slaves. When he married a free woman from Virginia, the state legislature exempted her from the state's ban on the entry of free blacks after he threatened to move. He is also said to have done the woodwork in the local church, on condition that he be permitted to sit in the area normally reserved to whites. List of National Historic Landmarks in North Carolina National Register of Historic Places listings in Caswell County, North Carolina Media related to Union Tavern (Milton, North Carolina) at Wikimedia Commons Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. NC-110, "Union Tavern, Main Street between Lee Street & Farmer's Alley, Milton, Caswell County, NC", 15 photos, 4 data pages, 3 photo caption pages
Location
Categories
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.
Everything a full report reveals about Union Tavern
This page lists Union Tavern. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Questions about this property
When was Union Tavern listed on the National Register?
Union Tavern was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 14, 1975.
What type of historic resource is Union Tavern?
Union Tavern is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
Is Union Tavern a National Historic Landmark?
Yes. Union Tavern has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.
What is the period of significance for Union Tavern?
The period of significance for Union Tavern is recorded as the civil_war era.
Can I research the history near Union Tavern?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Union Tavern will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
More in Caswell County
Historic places, battles, and census history across Caswell County.
Explore CaswellCounty ›More historic places in North Carolina
Browse all historic places in North Carolina.
View North Carolinahistoric sites ›North Carolina history
Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.
North Carolinahistory ›Research the history near this site
An Aubrey US report for an address near Union Tavern will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.