1802
by [Early American Tavern License Collection]
Southern New England, 1802. The collection includes licenses for named individuals to operate taverns, public inns, or houses of entertainment; town approbations for tavern keepers; and power of attorney documents. Each item is dated and signed; many feature signatures from the town's Selectmen, Constable, Justice of Peace, Grand Juror, and Civil Authority. The tavern was the center of social and political life in early American communities; the Vermont state constitution was drafted and signed at the Windsor Tavern in 1777, the tavern's proprietor Elijah West features prominently in this collection. Within these documents are character assessments-"We judge that [...] Christopher Martin and Jesse Spafford are fit and suitable persons to keep houses of Public Entertainment" (Woodstock, 1802)- and term limits, as all licenses and approbations must be renewed annually. Though formally worded, documents appear on scraps of paper, often unevenly cut, and several with wax stamps. A fascinating collection that illuminates early American civic procedures. Condition varies, most items creased and browned with age but all legible. Very good.
(Inventory #: 3587)