DRAFT: REVOLUTIONARY WARwick (Orange County, NY)

A COMMUNITY GATHERING PLACE

At 103 Main Street in the Village of Warwick stands a large two story stone building. It was here on a Kings Highway that Francis Baird decided to build a tavern and home in 1766. The location was excellent for hospitality, at an intersection that connected roads to New Jersey, Pennsylvania, the Hudson River, and New England, 

It is thought Baird brought masons and carpenters from New York City, where he had been a merchant.  This is stated during the war by the Marquis de Chastellux.  Though no documents have yet been found, we do have his marriage record in 1858 to Esther Eagles.

In late colonial times the area that later became the Town Warwick was part of the "Precinct of Goshen." The community had several taverns, with Baird's being the largest and busiest. All were also the homes of the owners.

The tavern with its attached store served a vital role in community life as a gathering spot for locals and visitors to eat and drink, exchange news, discuss, and network.  

Baird was an early adopter of the Revolutionary cause, signing the 1775 Pledge of Association circulated by the rebel upstart government.

The building remained a combined inn and home until after the death of Baird in 1800 and beyond. Many years afterward it was a home of the Sayer family, then in recent decades had business offices.

The Historical Society of the Town of Warwick purchased it with funds donated by Mrs. Elizabeth (Lewis) Van Leer in 1991.  Since then the historical society has maintained the structure and welcomed the public to it as a museum. In recent years the lower floor has been leased as a tavern once again, while the second floor and attic are museum space.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places (along with the Village of Warwick Historic District) in 1984.  It was registered with  the Flagon and Trencher Society of Descendants of Colonial Tavern Keepers in 2009. 

Signature and seal of Francis Baird from lease of Bellvale plantation from John Bard, 1775.

The tavern was built on a well maintained "King's Highway", which became the main safe route for rebel travel between Philadelphia, the South, and New England, during Revolution, when the British occupied New York City.  Many travelers availed themselves of its food, drink, and overnight accommodations.

Notables of the time who primary source documents show stopped here include George Washington, who's aide recorded in his expense diary the purchase of some grog at Baird's in mid July of 1782.  Washington would have travelled through the area several times during the war.  Martha Washington would also have gone through the area several times, and one overnight stay at Baird's is confirmed, the night of June 25, 1781:

 "Mrs. Washington had what was in our power to procure." [Source: Aaron Norcross to Charles Stewart, July 26, 1781]

On December 6, 1782, the Marquis de Chastellux, Major General of the French Army serving under Count Rochambeau, stayed all night here with his aides. He records this in his later published memoir:

"Warwick NY where I slept a pretty large place for so wild a country, is 12 miles from Chester  NY and 28 miles from Newburgh NY. I lodged here in a very good stone inn, kept by Mr. Smith, the same whose house I had slept 2 years before at Cheat, which was much inferior to this. The American Army having for 2 years past had their winter quarters near West Point NY, Mr. Smith imagined with reason that this road would be more frequented than that of Paramus and he had taken the inn of Mr. Francis Baird at whose house we stopped next day for breakfast. The house had been given up to him with some furniture and he had  upwards of 150 acres of land belonging to it, for the whole of which he paid Seventy pounds currency making 100 pistoles. I had every reason to be content with my old acquaintances and the new establishment..."  [Source: Travels in North America in the years 1780- 82, Vol. 2, p. 302]

In 1780 & 1781, the Continental Army had a supply depot in the Village, at and near Hallowed Ground park.  The officials in charge appear to have usually stayed at Baird's, and Baird himself was appointed "Forage Master" in charge of gathering supplies for the army, from this area, prior to the arrival of the army men.

Since roads closer to New York were dangerous for the rebels during the Revolution, because the British were there, this road became an important route for troops.  There are many troop diary entries from that time period that mention stopping in Warwick.

William B. Sayer recorded what he remembered of the tavern layout and its stories in in the Warwick Valley Dispatch, December 16, 1903:

"The house as originally built had a frame addition on the south end 1 1/2 stories high , which was the kitchen and contained the large old fashioned fire-place with a stone back log and a brick oven, with a stone chimney built into the south end of the stone part of the house...This was the leading tavern or inn from the time it was built up to 1830 in the village- and the shows that came to town for this was the center of the village at that time, were held in the large ball-room which had a spring floor and was situated in the northeast corner of the second story. The beaux and belles of ye olden time used to meet and dance there.

The room opening off this room to the west is said to be the room where General George Washington slept.. The present owner of the house was born in this room. On the first story a large hall ran thro from the front to the back, on the south end of the stone part with a winding stair case running up to the attic. North of that on the front of the house was the barroom, with a large open fireplace with two bars for the sale of whiskey - one long one and one built like a quarter of a circle. One day a man rode into this barroom on horseback and drank at the bar sitting on his horse...

In olden times the attic was used to store grain in. Many a travelling circus was held where the present barn stands. Most of the timbers in this house are of oak, hewn square with axes, and the floors are of wide pine planks two inches thick- the old windows have 24 lights 8 x 10 inches in each window- all doors, moldings, casing flooring &c. were dressed out by hand. The stone chimney, containing 4 flues, is 15 feet across where it goes thro the attic. The mechanics who built this house were brought from New York city and when completed it was considered the finest house in this section of the country."

Francis Baird was a a careful and savvy businessman, so he  "diversified" his investments even during the war.  He had other enterprises besides running the tavern, tannery, and attached store. One of these was leasing the large farm or "plantation" of John Bard at Bellvale.  John Bard was a prominent physician in colonial New York City and Hyde Park, founding Bard College.  He invested in land here, but likely only visited from time to time.  He named this cluster of agricultural lands, iron forge, and mills before the Revolution his beautiful valley, or "belle vale." 

In addition to hosting the officers running the Continental Army supply depot in 1780-81, Baird also had been appointed "Forage Master" in town for a short time, and engaged in other business for the Army, for which he (as did most other locals) insisted on payment in cash, not printed money or "receipts."  That is why these payments are shown in the Quartermaster General's ledger, attached below.  His son William Eagles Baird, also assited with moving provisions.

1. The old romantic tale that shows how a simple statement can become confused to the point of fiction is that of the local militia having "drilled" in the attic during the Revolution. This memory was recorded by W. B. Sayer (1866-1940) in an article published in the Warwick Valley Dispatch on Dec. 16, 1903.  The person whose recollection is recorded was Benjamin Sayer (1791-1874). His grandson William says says his grandfather saw the militia roll called in the building.

"On training days when the militia gathered to practice. they made eggnog by the barrel for the men to drink. One day when it rained and the militia could not practice, Benjamin Sayer, grandfather of the present owner, was present, and the muster roll was called in the attic. There used to be pretty jolly times at these gatherings."

Since Benjamin Sayer was born after the Revolution, this memory was of the the postwar " Warwick Company" of Hathorn's 4th Orange County militia-- likely at most twenty or thirty men, gathered at this central Village location.  It was not a Revolutionary War years meeting.  A roll call, not "drilling" is recalled, during a storm.  Also indicated are other gatherings during his youth, in which "libations" were enjoyed.

2. Another fiction-- one that is not recorded early and is apparently of recent vintage-- is that "Baird changed the flag flown at his business from British to American according to which troops were moving through."  This is highly unlikely, since the area was solidly in rebel hands.  Once the war had begun (when the Betsy Ross flag was adoped) the only overtly British personnel who are documented as moving through are the prisoners of Burgoyne's captured army, moving south.  Flying a British flag would have put Francis Baird in the precarious position being judged a Loyalist or British sympathizer.  They were not tolerated in the area, and Baird's business and home would have been seized and sold by the rebel governing committee.