Gadsby's Tavern Museum, a national historic landmark in Old Town and the scene for George Washington's Birthnight Ball and a Thomas Jefferson inaugural banquet, announced in June 2002 that a new construction date has been established for one of its 18th-century buildings.
Prompting changes in the site's historical interpretation, the date, now circa 1785 instead of circa 1770, came to light after a year long study that included dendrochronology - the study of tree rings - which focused on the age of the lumber in the building's basement beams. Other research included examination of historical documents and an architectural survey. Paint analysis, which reveals layers of paint and their place in the history of the site, is pending.
Owned and operated by the City of Alexandria since 1974, the site consists of a hotel, built in 1792, and a tavern, now known to have been completed by 1785. Made famous by tavern keeper John Gadsby, who ran the establishment from 1796 to 1808, the buildings are noted for their Georgian and federal architecture, as well as visits by Washington, Jefferson, John Adams, and James Madison.
Since 1976, when the buildings were re-opened after extensive renovation by the City, the interpretation - or explanation - of the site's history reflected a colonial period construction date for the tavern. "In the 1970's, the best scholarship of the time, which was extensive and included a review of all surviving documents, determined a circa 1770 date," said Gretchen Bulova, Director of Gadsby's Tavern Museum. "There was always some question of certainty, though. Since then, technology has improved and so has our knowledge of the area's history."
Mary Hawkins, a tavern keeper in Alexandria on the lot where the Gadsby buildings are located was once thought by museum staff to have occupied the tavern from 1774 to 1777. As a result, the Hawkins' story has been a key feature of the tour. The tavern rooms, such as the Tap Room where men ate and drank and the Dormers where they slept are furnished according to the Hawkins period. A furnishings plan, developed in1980, made use of a probate inventory of Hawkins' tavern possessions in 1777.
According to Bulova, furnishings changes are likely to occur, but not for several months. "The 1785 date is very informative, but we still have gaps in our knowledge. We have yet to identify historical sources that shed light on how the tavern's owner and builder, John Wise, would have furnished his mid-1780's tavern."
An immediate change at the museum, in effect since June 12, is a revised tour. Mary Hawkins and her life in colonial and revolutionary Alexandria, as well as her place as a tavern keeper on the lot, though not in the surviving structures, is offered as an introduction to the site. The role of John Wise, a businessman who built the circa 1785 tavern and the 1792 hotel, known as the City Tavern in the 18th century, is described more fully compared to previous interpretations.
With an increase in commerce following the conclusion of the American Revolution in 1781, Alexandria's economic life expanded. For a businessman such as John Wise, this vigorous expansion opened opportunities to develop real estate in Alexandria, specifically taverns. The lot where Mary Hawkins operated her tavern, originally covering the southwest corner of Royal and Cameron Streets to about mid-block in each direction, was subdivided in 1778. A parcel was purchased by Edward Owens, who then later sold the property to John Wise, a newcomer from Georgetown, in 1782.
The parcel that Wise purchased and developed is where his buildings still stand to this day. His reputation was later eclipsed by a subsequent tavern keeper - John Gadsby - to whom Wise leased the buildings from 1796 to 1808. Gadsby initially ran the City Tavern, a designation at the time which signified the town's best and most fashionable hostelry. He later added the smaller, mid-1780's tavern to his lease in 1802, and ran it as a coffee house.
These adjacent buildings operate today as a museum and early-American style restaurant. The museum's hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m, and Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. Thirty minute guided tours are offered, as well as a variety of special events and children's activities.
