History of
TRUM TAVERN
Est. 1752
Located in Trumbauersville in Upper Bucks County Pennsylvania.
Information obtained from the Bucks County Historical Society.
TRUM TAVERN dates back to the early 1700’s. In 1752 Elisha Parker applied for and received a tavern license, thus making it the FIRST TAVERN in Trumbauersville.
In July 1798, Congress enacted several laws to provide for the levying of a graduated, direct tax on all the land, houses and slaves in the United States to finance expected naval operations against France. By the first three months of 1799, opposition to this legislation led to open, and at times, violent resistance in northern Bucks and Northampton Counties. The situation was serious enough to prompt President John Adams to call out state militia and federal troops to restore order among the predominantly German-speaking participants of the resistance.
The federal legislation empowered a principal assessor and as many assistants as necessary to make detailed lists of all property. To make their valuations, the tax assessors went from house to house recording the size, building material and even the number and sizes of windows. This process angered many of the area's inhabitants who objected to the law on principle or merely did not understand it. In Milford and surrounding townships, many residents actively resisted the efforts of the assessors to the point of dousing them with boiling water. When these efforts not only failed to halt the collectors, but often resulted in arrests, a group of militia led by John Fries decided upon armed confrontation.
The Jacob Fries Tavern, currently known as TRUM TAVERN, located at the crossroads in the tiny Milford village of Trumbauersville, was the site of much of the anti-government activity in the area. On February 8, 1799, after attempting to explain the law to angry residents at a public meeting, James Chapman, the principal assessor for the district, stopped at the tavern to meet with lieutenants who had met there seeking his reassurance and guidance. Despite threats, Chapman continued with his task and ordered the assessors to go about their duty.
On March 5, 1799, the assessors reached Trumbauersville and began their work. While Chapman and his assistants were dining at the tavern, Jacob Fries entered several times to discuss the situation with his many friends who had also gathered there, as well as to keep an eye on the situation. Several minor disagreements apparently broke out between the townspeople and the tax men, but both Fries and Chapman eventually left the tavern without major confrontation.
That night the Milford residents decided to take action against the assessors. They marched to the tavern to meet the assessors and stop them by force. However, the assessors got wind of the activity and fled the area to the safety of Quakertown. The militia gathered at the tavern, over one hundred strong by this time, and decided to march on that village after the assessors. John Fries and his followers caught up to the officials there and ordered them against returning to Milford.
On their return from Quakertown, the militia again stopped at the tavern, where they received news that residents of nearby Northampton County were marching to secure the release of those resistors who had been arrested after deciding to join in the effort. This march, again led by John Fries, was able by force to secure the release of all prisoners. It was this armed insurrection against the authority of the federal government which prompted President Adams to call out troops to put down the activities of John Fries and his followers.
The Fries Rebellion, like the earlier Shay’s Rebellion in Massachusetts and the Whiskey Rebellion in southwest Pennsylvania, was a reaction of citizens against what they considered unfair taxation; a cause that many, including Shay and Fries, had lately fought for in the War of Independence.
From the time Elisha Parker first obtained a tavern license for his house at the intersection of the road to Durham and the road from Saucon to Philadelphia, this site has almost continuously been the location for an inn. Although built on a crossroads to aid overland travel the eighteenth century, the inn was more than a spot for the weary traveler to obtain food, drink and lodging. Its importance to the village and surrounding community was far greater then its service to travelers. The tavern served as a community social hall where men gathered to hear news, exchange ideas and opinions and discuss the affairs of town and nation. No doubt the tavern served as a stage stop, a place where mail was delivered until a regular post office opened, a court for travelling justices and at election time the place where citizens cast their ballots.
Thus, it was not at all unusual that during the unrest of the Fries Rebellion that men gathered at the
tavern, as well as many others throughout the countryside to hear the latest news and to vent their angers and frustrations. The tavern and church were the centers of community life. It is interesting to note that during the time when Andrew Trumbauer owned the tavern and lot, a one acre parcel of the tract was sold to the United Congregation of Lower Milford upon which the Christ Church erected in 1768. As the village grew, so did the tavern. The 19th century saw the tavern grow in size and importance.