Tondee's Tavern

Tondee's Tavern was a large public tavern in Savannah, Georgia, that operated during the second half of the eighteenth century. It stood at the northwest corner of Broughton and Whitaker Streets and was built between approximately 1766 and 1770 by Peter Tondee, a carpenter and Savannah resident, who ran the establishment with his wife, Lucy Mouse Tondee. The business was also known as Tondee's Long House or Tondee's Long Room. The tavern served as both a commercial hospitality business and an important civic gathering place. It was reportedly the largest public building in Savannah during its period of operation. Local social organizations, including the Masons and the Union Society, used the premises, while sea captains and other members of the port community made it a regular meeting point. The building included a substantial long room and a porch; historians have also suggested that its upper floor may have been used for amateur theatrical performances, although no contemporary image of the structure is known. Tondee's Tavern gained lasting historical importance during the American Revolution. The Georgia Sons of Liberty, also called the Liberty Boys, began meeting there in July 1774 to coordinate opposition to the Intolerable Acts and to discuss revolutionary developments elsewhere in British North America. Meetings at the tavern helped organize elections for representatives to Georgia's Provincial Congress, petitions to King George III, local security institutions, and support for the Continental Congress. A liberty pole was erected outside the building in June 1775, reinforcing the site's role as a visible center of Patriot activity. The First Provincial Congress of Georgia began meeting at Tondee's Tavern on July 4, 1775. It endorsed the Continental Congress's actions and selected Georgia's delegates to the Second Continental Congress. On August 10, 1776, Archibald Bulloch, president of the Georgia Provincial Congress, publicly read the Declaration of Independence from the tavern's front porch. During the British occupation of Savannah from 1778 to 1782, the tavern came under British control. After Patriot authorities returned, Georgia's government resumed operations there in August 1782 and remained associated with the site until 1784. Peter Tondee died in October 1775, after which Lucy Tondee continued to own and operate the tavern. The revolutionary government paid her for use of the building, and records describe her continuing support for the Patriot administration. The Tondees are also documented as enslavers; surviving records refer to enslaved people in Peter's household and to the sale of enslaved individuals through the Tondee estate. This history forms an important and difficult part of the site's interpretation. The tavern was destroyed in a major Savannah fire in 1796, which consumed roughly two-thirds of the city. No surviving building is identified as the original tavern. Its former location is commemorated by a historical marker at 102 Broughton Street, installed in 1899 by the Georgia Society of the Colonial Dames of America. A period room maintained by the Georgia State Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution at Memorial Continental Hall also interprets the tavern's interior and historical setting.

Tondee's Tavern was established in Savannah between 1766 and 1770 by Peter Tondee, a carpenter who had arrived in Georgia as a child and later helped construct several important Savannah buildings. The tavern occupied the northwest corner of Broughton and Whitaker Streets. Although no contemporary illustration survives, historical descriptions portray a substantial building with a long room and porch. Its size made it one of Savannah's principal public venues. The establishment served the city's social and commercial communities. It welcomed sea captains and hosted organizations such as the Masonic and Union societies. The long room provided space for gatherings, and the upper floor may have accommodated amateur theatrical performances. These uses reflected Savannah's role as a port and colonial administrative center, where taverns functioned as places for business, sociability, political discussion, and public announcements. Its most important historical role emerged during the crisis between the American colonies and Great Britain. The Georgia Sons of Liberty began holding organized meetings at Tondee's in July 1774. From late 1774 through 1775, the tavern hosted elections, petitions, discussions of independence, and the creation of local bodies intended to coordinate with the Continental Congress. A liberty pole placed outside the building in June 1775 made the site an especially visible symbol of resistance. The First Provincial Congress of Georgia opened at the tavern on July 4, 1775. Delegates supported the Continental Congress and chose representatives for the Second Continental Congress. Peter Tondee participated in Patriot activity and was associated with the Sons of Liberty. He died in October 1775, after which Lucy Tondee assumed responsibility for the business. The state paid her for use of the premises, and she continued to support the revolutionary government. On August 10, 1776, Archibald Bulloch read the Declaration of Independence from the tavern's porch. The site later endured the British occupation of Savannah, during which the building was controlled by British authorities. When Patriot government operations resumed in August 1782, officials again used the tavern, continuing there until 1784. The history of the Tondee family also includes slavery. Records identify Peter Tondee as an enslaver and refer to enslaved people in his household and estate. Lucy and the family received provisions during the postwar period, while Lucy is recognized by the Daughters of the American Revolution for her support of the Patriot cause. These revolutionary associations and the family's involvement in slavery must both be included in any responsible account of the site. The tavern was destroyed by Savannah's 1796 fire. Its former location is now marked at 102 Broughton Street by a marker installed in 1899. A period room at the Daughters of the American Revolution's Memorial Continental Hall provides another interpretation of the tavern's interior and historical significance.

• 1899

  Historical marker installed

  [1]Tondee's Tavernen.wikipedia.org

  The Georgia Society of the Colonial Dames of America places a marker at the former tavern location.

• 1796

  Destroyed by fire

  [1]Tondee's Tavernen.wikipedia.org

  The tavern is destroyed in the Savannah fire that consumes much of the city.

• 1782

  Patriot government returns

  [1]Tondee's Tavernen.wikipedia.org

  After British forces leave Savannah, Georgia's Patriot authorities resume operations at the tavern.

• 1776

  Declaration of Independence reading

  [1]Tondee's Tavernen.wikipedia.org

  Archibald Bulloch reads the Declaration of Independence from the tavern porch on August 10.

• 1775

  First Provincial Congress meets

  [1]Tondee's Tavernen.wikipedia.org

  Georgia's First Provincial Congress convenes at the tavern and aligns the colony's Patriot government with the Continental Congress.

• 1774

  Liberty Boys meetings begin

  [1]Tondee's Tavernen.wikipedia.org

  Georgia's Sons of Liberty begin using the tavern to coordinate resistance to British policy.

• 1766

  Construction begins

  [1]Tondee's Tavernen.wikipedia.org

  Peter Tondee builds the tavern at the northwest corner of Broughton and Whitaker Streets; construction is generally dated to the period between 1766 and 1770.

An eighteenth-century Savannah public house positioned at the intersection of hospitality, port-city sociability, and civic life. Its historical significance derives less from a distinctive consumer product than from its role as one of Georgia's principal meeting places during the American Revolution and the formation of the state's early government.

• Hospitality

  Tavern food and drink

  The establishment's ordinary commercial offering was tavern hospitality, including food, drink, lodging or refreshment services typical of an eighteenth-century public house. Specific menus and branded products are not documented in the supplied reference material.

• Venue services

  Meeting and event space

  Tondee's Tavern provided a large public interior and porch for social clubs, civic meetings, political assemblies, and possibly amateur performances. Its venue function became more historically prominent than any particular food or beverage product.

• 1759

  Tondee family's documented enslavement of people

  Historical records identify Peter Tondee as an enslaver and document enslaved people in his household. Later estate records refer to the sale of an enslaved man, woman, and child. This legacy complicates the tavern's commemoration as a Patriot-era landmark.

  Source

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• 1775

  Lucy Tondee continues the tavern after Peter's deathStrategy

  Background

  Peter Tondee died in October 1775 while the tavern was being used by Georgia's revolutionary organizations and government.

  Action taken

  Lucy Mouse Tondee assumed ownership and operation of the establishment and continued making it available to the Patriot government.

  Aftermath

  The tavern remained a government and political meeting place through the post-occupation period, with state records noting payment to Lucy for its use.

  Source

1. 1Tondee's Tavernen.wikipedia.org