From the revolution to revolutionary, the Indian King Tavern has been standing for over two hundred and fifty years. The site was originally built as three story building with a shop on the first floor and living quarters on the upper levels. The tavern also features an in-house kitchen, which the Gazette in 1773 really raved about as a selling point. The cellar, however is not open to the public, but is separated in to five sections and even runs under the sidewalk with vaulted ceilings parallel to the highway.
The state acquired the tavern in 1903, and it became the first state owned historical site.
The museum houses everything from original furnishings and pieces of similar time periods as well as reproduction pieces. The bar (above) is a reproduction piece made from the pews of a local presbyterian church. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirits.
Move over Chateau Shereé…
Hugh Creighton, who ran a small tavern down the street, bought this Tavern in 1777. Creighton then just transferred his sign from the small tavern down the street to his new location and forever dubbing it the Indian King Tavern. Moving on up for sure but keeping it on brand.
The Indian King Tavern really was the best place to be and basically 1776 Haddonfield’s version of Les Deux of The Hills infamy. The second level features a large assembly room which held some huge meetings. The Great Seal of New Jersey was finalized and paid for in this room. The vote for the State Constitution to change the word ‘colony’ to the word ‘state’ also took place in this room.
Timothy Matlack Jr was born across the street from the tavern, and after leaving Haddonfield, and moving to Philadelphia his family became neighbors with the Franklins. Yes, those Franklins. Full on Real Housewives of revolutionary Philadelphia. This is a sitcom that needs to be pitched to a network right now because “Young Ben” would last at least four seasons. Matlack Jr will then go on to become a clerk for the Second Continental Conference under Franklin. Once working for the conference, Matlack Jr penned the Declaration of Independence which would be the copy used and signed and a few hundred years later hunted down by Nicolas Cage. The tavern then became the first place in which the Declaration of Independence would be read aloud in the meeting’s minutes. This was a request of John Hancock, who was in Baltimore at the time.
But more importantly I learned what a ratchet table is and I’m ready for it to make its big comeback. The table has an adjustable stand to raise for when your candle started to melt in order to keep the light at your level. Talk about style and function. Also like we should totally add “that’s such a ratchet table” into our vernacular…
Some notable lore, Dolley Madison would frequent the Indian King Tavern. This would be before she married James Madison and became the First Lady. As the Indian King Tavern’s information pamphlet states, “[Dolley] did not dance, but she allegedly enjoyed watching the many dances that took place on the second floor.”
I also got pretty obsessed with the replica beds on the second floor which were called press beds and were basically antique murphy beds. The mattress was filled with straw and not hay, because hay would attract bugs. The mattress was then laid on interlocked ropes, which would stretch and have to be tightened over time.
Goodnight,
Sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite.
Historic Reality 
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