Bogart's Tavern

Bogart's Tavern was a historic tavern established in approximately 1763 in Buckingham, Pennsylvania, by Henry Jamison, an Irish immigrant. Although it operated as a local hospitality business, its historical importance derives from the political and military activity associated with it during the years surrounding the American Revolutionary War. By 1775, the tavern had become a meeting place for Bucks County's Committee of Observation, a pro-revolutionary organization that helped mobilize local support for the patriot cause. The Committee of Observation used the tavern as a setting for organizing resistance to British rule. Its activities included identifying residents who supported or opposed the revolutionary movement, encouraging or enforcing boycotts of British goods, and confiscating firearms from some opponents of the cause. Weapons taken through these efforts were reportedly used in forming a company of soldiers in 1775. These activities placed the tavern within the wider network of local committees that helped translate revolutionary politics into practical action at the community level. Bogart's Tavern became particularly associated with the Continental Army's operations in late 1776. After the American defeat at Fort Lee, Major General Nathanael Greene and his troops withdrew into Pennsylvania. The tavern stood in an area described as politically uncertain, surrounded by Quaker residents and farmers whose positions were not uniformly aligned with the revolutionary cause. On December 10, 1776, George Washington and Greene met at the tavern while considering military plans connected with the Delaware River crossing. That operation soon contributed to the Continental Army's successful attack on Hessian forces at Trenton, making the tavern part of the historical landscape surrounding one of the Revolution's best-known early American victories. Following the war, the building received little attention for many years. A local historian rediscovered and publicized its historical significance in 1913, prompting renewed interest in the surviving structure. The property was later expanded or adapted as the General Greene Inn, a hotel that is now defunct. The site also received a Pennsylvania State Historical Marker. Bogart's Tavern is therefore best understood as a former local tavern and historic site rather than a continuing commercial brand. No current operating company, ownership structure, product portfolio, or official website is identified in the available reference material.

Bogart's Tavern was established around 1763 in Buckingham, Pennsylvania, by Henry Jamison, who was from Ireland. It began as a local tavern serving the surrounding community, but its location and social function made it a useful gathering place during the political crisis that preceded the American Revolutionary War. By 1775, the building was being used by the Bucks County Committee of Observation. Such committees formed part of the patriot movement's local organizational structure. At Bogart's Tavern, the committee helped assess community loyalties, distinguishing residents who supported the revolutionary cause from those who opposed it or remained loyal to Britain. The group also supported economic resistance through boycotts of British goods. In some cases, it seized firearms from people considered opposed to the revolutionary movement. Those weapons were reportedly used in assembling a company of soldiers in 1775. The tavern's importance increased during the military crisis of 1776. After the Continental Army's defeat at Fort Lee, Major General Nathanael Greene and his troops retreated toward Pennsylvania. The area around Bogart's Tavern was politically complicated: it was surrounded by Quaker communities and farmers who were not uniformly committed to either side. George Washington referred to the location as precarious in correspondence written from Morrisville, Pennsylvania, reflecting the uncertainty surrounding local support and security. On December 10, 1776, Washington and Greene met at Bogart's Tavern. Their discussions concerned plans for the Continental Army's crossing of the Delaware River. The crossing and the subsequent attack on Hessian troops at Trenton became a significant American victory and helped restore morale after a series of defeats. The tavern's connection to this meeting gives it a place in the local history of the Delaware Valley campaign, even though the building was not itself a military headquarters or battlefield. After the Revolutionary War, the building was largely neglected and its historical importance faded from public attention. In 1913, a local historian identified and publicized the site's connection to the Revolution. This rediscovery led to renewed interest in the standing structure and helped preserve its association with the events of 1775 and 1776. The property was subsequently expanded into the General Greene Inn, a hotel that later ceased operating. A Pennsylvania State Historical Marker was also granted to recognize the site's historical significance. The available material does not document a continuing tavern business, a modern corporate owner, a current hospitality operation, or a commercial product line. Accordingly, Bogart's Tavern is treated in this dossier as a defunct historic hospitality establishment and heritage site, not as an active contemporary consumer brand.

• 1913

  Historical significance rediscovered

  [1]Bogart's Tavernen.wikipedia.org

  A local historian brought renewed attention to the standing building and its Revolutionary War associations.

• 1776

  Washington and Greene meet at the tavern

  [1]Bogart's Tavernen.wikipedia.org

  On December 10, George Washington and Nathanael Greene met at Bogart's Tavern while planning the Delaware River crossing associated with the later victory at Trenton.

• 1775

  Committee of Observation uses the tavern

  [1]Bogart's Tavernen.wikipedia.org

  The Bucks County Committee of Observation made the tavern a meeting place for organizing support for the revolutionary cause, including boycotts and the collection of firearms.

• 1763

  Tavern established in Buckingham

  [1]Bogart's Tavernen.wikipedia.org

  Henry Jamison established Bogart's Tavern in Buckingham, Pennsylvania, around this date.

• Property associated with the General Greene Inn

  [1]Bogart's Tavernen.wikipedia.org

  The building was expanded into the now-defunct General Greene Inn and received a Pennsylvania State Historical Marker.

An eighteenth-century local tavern whose enduring significance comes from its role as a meeting place for revolutionary organizers and Continental Army leaders, rather than from a surviving commercial product identity.

• Food and beverage hospitality · 1763

  Tavern hospitality

  As an eighteenth-century tavern, Bogart's Tavern primarily provided customary public-house services, including food, drink, and a place for travelers and local residents to gather. Specific menus, proprietary products, or signature offerings are not documented in the available source material.

• Lodging and hospitality

  General Greene Inn

  The historic building was later expanded or adapted into the General Greene Inn, extending the site's hospitality function into hotel accommodation. The inn is described as defunct, and the available material does not provide operating dates, ownership details, room inventory, or service specifications.

1. 1Bogart's Tavernen.wikipedia.org