New York's Revolutionary History at the Fraunces Tavern

Summary

Podcast Summary: All Of It – "New York's Revolutionary History at the Fraunces Tavern"

Hosted by Alison Stewart, WNYC’s "All Of It" delves into the rich cultural tapestry of New York City. In the May 21, 2025 episode titled "New York's Revolutionary History at the Fraunces Tavern," host Alison Stewart explores the pivotal role of the Fraunces Tavern in the American Revolutionary War. Joining her are Scott Dwyer, Executive Director of the Fraunces Tavern Museum, and Lisa Goulet, the museum's Collections Manager. This detailed summary captures the key discussions, insights, and conclusions from their conversation.

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1. Introduction to Fraunces Tavern and Its Historical Significance

[00:29] Alison Stewart introduces the episode by highlighting the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War’s commencement, noting the shift of the war’s focus to New York City. She emphasizes the Fraunces Tavern’s central role, describing it as not just a historical site but also a vibrant restaurant and bar today.

"The Fraunces Tavern is still standing and it's a great spot for dinner and a drink. But did you know the building was once a meeting spot for the Sons of Liberty?" — Alison Stewart [00:29]

2. Samuel Fraunces: The Tavern’s Entrepreneurial Founder

[01:23] Alison Stewart introduces Lisa Goulet to discuss Samuel Fraunces, the tavern’s proprietor.

[01:34] Lisa Goulet provides an insightful biography of Samuel Fraunces:

"He arrives in New York from the West Indies in about 1755... he operates ultimately at least eight taverns and other establishments during his life and career... post-war, he serves as George Washington's presidential household steward..." — Lisa Goulet [01:34]

3. The Tavern as a Hub for Patriots and the Sons of Liberty

[02:36] Alison Stewart inquires about what drew patrons, particularly revolutionaries, to Fraunces Tavern.

[02:40] Scott Dwyer responds by emphasizing Fraunces’ exceptional culinary skills and the tavern’s role as an entertainment venue:

"Samuel Fraunces was kind of a better cook than normally people would expect to receive at a tavern in New York City... he was an entertainer. He had wax figures at his tavern at times..." — Scott Dwyer [02:40]

This combination attracted not only food and drink enthusiasts but also key figures in the revolutionary movement, fostering an environment where grievances against British rule could be openly discussed.

4. Revolutionary Activities and Meetings at the Tavern

[03:34] Alison Stewart asks about the specific discussions among the Sons of Liberty at the tavern.

[03:42] Scott Dwyer explains the challenges in documenting their conversations but affirms that influential revolutionary figures regularly met there:

"You couldn't just advertise that you were meaning to talk about, hey, revolutionary... but we knew the players were meeting at the tavern." — Scott Dwyer [03:42]

[04:21] Lisa Goulet confirms Samuel Fraunces’ patriot stance, noting his support for the Sons of Liberty and their critical role in the revolution:

"He was certainly a patriot... Hercules Mulligan and other leaders of the revolutionary movement were part of his clientele." — Lisa Goulet [04:21]

5. British Occupation and the Tavern’s Survival

[05:14] Alison Stewart shifts the discussion to the British takeover of New York and its impact on Fraunces Tavern.

[05:38] Scott Dwyer narrates the tavern’s tumultuous period during the British occupation:

"The tavern was left in the care of his son when Fraunces had to evacuate... he was brought back as an indentured servant of the British and was forced to work in his own tavern..." — Scott Dwyer [05:38]

Despite the British onslaught, the tavern survived physical damages, including a cannonball strike, and remained a site of significant historical events.

[06:26] Lisa Goulet recounts George Washington’s farewell banquet at Fraunces Tavern:

"When Washington returns to New York City, he holds a banquet for his officers at Fraunces Tavern on December 4th as his official goodbye." — Lisa Goulet [06:26]

6. "Path to the Emergence of a Nation": The Special Exhibit

[07:03] Scott Dwyer introduces the special exhibit commemorating the Revolutionary War's 250th anniversary, detailing plans for ongoing, rotating displays and diverse programming:

"The exhibition is where we'll be highlighting all the events of the revolution on an ongoing rotating basis... we'll also be doing programming to highlight various authors and lectures." — Scott Dwyer [07:11]

[07:53] Alison Stewart prompts Lisa to share discoveries from the museum’s archives.

7. Discoveries and Notable Artifacts

[08:02] Lisa Goulet unveils a rare painting by John Mackie Falconer depicting Independence House, mistakenly believed to be where Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence:

"Falconer is representing a mid-19th century street scene of a very dilapidated 18th-century home with a giant sign plastered on it that says Independence House... it's a really interesting snapshot of the memory of this building at the time." — Lisa Goulet [08:02]

[12:57] Scott Dwyer discusses the exhibit’s inclusion of cannonballs from the Battle of Long Island, which physically impacted Fraunces Tavern:

"The HMS Asia... shot a cannonball into the city and it lands through the roof of Fraunces Tavern." — Scott Dwyer [12:57]

This event symbolizes the war’s direct impact on New York City’s heart.

8. Nathan Hale’s Letter and Martyrdom

[13:43] Scott Dwyer brings up Nathan Hale, featuring a poignant letter in the exhibit.

[13:51] Lisa Goulet elaborates on the significance of Nathan Hale’s final letter:

"This is, as far as we know, the last known letter of Nathan Hale... he concludes on an optimistic note... unfortunately, he is discovered and hanged in late September, becoming a martyr for the movement." — Lisa Goulet [13:56]

9. Artistic Representations and European Perceptions

[16:26] Alison Stewart highlights a European-made depiction of the Battle of Brooklyn featured in the exhibit.

[16:45] Lisa Goulet analyzes the print, noting its inaccuracies and portrayal of British forces:

"The printer... has to imagine the scene... it's a really, really interesting sort of fantastical scene." — Lisa Goulet [16:45]

This artwork reflects European misconceptions and the imaginative lens through which the conflict was viewed abroad.

10. Upcoming Attractions and Permanent Galleries

[19:01] Scott Dwyer outlines the museum’s permanent galleries, including:

• Governoring the Nation: Showcases the tavern’s role as the first executive federal government office.

"Departments of War, Foreign Affairs, and the Board of Treasury were all stationed here while NYC was the capital between 1785 and 1788."

• Birch Trials at Fraunces Tavern: Explores the complex negotiations regarding black Loyalists post-war.

"A commission to evaluate whether black Loyalists could evacuate with the British army based on claims of freedom..." — Scott Dwyer [19:01]

• Flag Gallery: Displays regimental war flags from various U.S. regiments.

• George Washington Portrait Gallery: Features diverse images of Washington throughout his career.

11. Conclusion and Future Programming

[20:17] Scott Dwyer reiterates the exhibit’s title, "Path to the Emergence of a Nation," celebrating the Revolutionary War’s enduring legacy.

[20:31] Alison Stewart and Lisa Goulet conclude the discussion, expressing gratitude for their participation.

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Key Takeaways

• Fraunces Tavern’s Multifaceted Role: Beyond being a culinary and social hub, Fraunces Tavern was instrumental in revolutionary activities, hosting the Sons of Liberty and pivotal figures like George Washington.

• Survival Through Turbulence: The tavern withstood British bombardment and occupation, symbolizing resilience amidst conflict.

• Educational and Cultural Preservation: The Fraunces Tavern Museum’s new exhibit, "Path to the Emergence of a Nation," offers a comprehensive look at New York’s pivotal role in the Revolution, featuring rare artifacts and engaging programming.

• Community and Memory: Through artifacts like Nathan Hale’s letter and Falconer’s paintings, the museum preserves and interprets the collective memory and diverse narratives of the Revolutionary period.

• Ongoing Engagement: The museum plans to maintain dynamic exhibits and educational programs, ensuring continuous community involvement and fresh perspectives on historical events.

This episode of "All Of It" provides an in-depth exploration of Fraunces Tavern’s historical significance, the intricate details of the Revolutionary War’s impact on New York City, and the museum’s efforts to commemorate and educate future generations about this critical period in American history.

Transcript

[Progressive Insurance]

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[Alison Stewart]

You're listening to all of it on WNYC. I'm Alison Stewart. 250 years ago this April, the first shots of the Revolutionary War were fired in Lexington and Concord. The war soon shifted to New York City. One building played a significant role in the city's revolutionary history. The Fraunces Tavern. The Fraunces Tavern is still standing and it's a great spot for dinner and a drink. But did you know the building was once a meeting spot for the Sons of Liberty? It was the host to two important banquets for George Washington and even suffered some damage in the war. The Fraunces Tavern Museum has a new special exhibit to commemorate New York's role in the American Revolution. It is titled Path to the Emergence of a Nation. Joining me now to discuss the exhibit and some of the building's revolutionary history is Scott Dwyer. He is the executive director of the Fraunces Tavern Museum. Nice to meet you, Scott.

[Scott Dwyer]

Thank you so much.

[Alison Stewart]

And Lisa Goulet, who is the museum's collections manager. Hi, Lisa. Hi, Lisa. Let's talk about Samuel Frantis. What do we know about Samuel, the owner and operator of the tavern?

[Lisa Goulet]

Yeah, so we know quite a bit about Samuel Francis life once he gets to New York. However, his origins are somewhat mysterious. Still, he arrives in New York from the west indies in about 1755. This is the first sort of documented evidence we have of him being here. And he's about, about 30 at the time. He gets married shortly after to Elizabeth Daly in 1757, who was part of a large tavern keeping family. And for pretty much the rest of his life, he is a pretty prominent tavern keeper and entrepreneur. He operates ultimately at least eight taverns and other establishments during his life and career. And post war, he serves as George Washington's presidential household steward, first at his Cherry street residence in New York City and then later after the Washingtons relocate to Philadelphia and then serves out the rest of Washington's two terms.

[Alison Stewart]

Scott, why would, what would draw patrons to Fraunces Tavern?

[Scott Dwyer]

Well, Samuel Fraunces was kind of a better cook than normally people would expect to receive at a tavern in New York City. He prided himself on his ability to provide delicious food and drink at all hours of the day and night, which was unlike taverns, which provided kind of meals to live, not food to enjoy at one hour. And if you make that, you're kind of out of luck. But also, he was an entertainer. He had wax figures at his tavern at times, which were a source of entertainment for patrons. So it was the chance to enjoy the food and drink, but also enjoy the company. He knew everybody in the city because they were coming to his tavern. And so you could definitely meet somebody or see somebody you knew and talk about your grievances that you had with the king, which were many in the 1760s and up until New York fell to the British at the start of the revolution.

Let's talk about how the Sons of Liberty met there. Scott, what do we know about who met there?

[Alison Stewart]

Do we know what was discussed among.

[Scott Dwyer]

The Sons of Liberty?

Well, that's the challenge, because you couldn't just advertise that you were meaning to talk about, hey, revolutionary. So we don't have a lot of documentation on what was discussed then and how it was discussed, but we knew the players, we knew that people were meeting at the tavern. We can make inferences based on Francis's relig relationships with the documentation of people who did come through at some point. So it's some inferences, but, you know, just based on other accounts, we know that they were meeting there.

Lisa, what did he think, Samuel, think about having the Sons of Liberty at the tavern? Was he an active supporter of the revolution? Where did he stand?

[Lisa Goulet]

He was certainly a patriot. I think that, you know, Sons of Liberty, they do have a reputation for being a bit too rowdy. Their official headquarters are actually at another tavern that is not notorious for getting raided, where they're kicked out of it prior to everything starting up in the revolution. So, however, there are also a lot of people who would end up being sort of critical leaders in the revolutionary movement, like New Yorker Hercules Mulligan. And this is really the sort of clientele that Francis is catering to. So I think that ultimately he does, you know, he supports them, and they end up, you know, one of the instances where they are at the tavern is they're organiz before the tearing down of the statue of King George III after the Stamp act has come into effect.

[Scott Dwyer]

My guests are Scott Dwyer, executive director of the Fraunces Tavern Museum, and Lisa Goulet, who is the museum's collection manager. We're discussing the new exhibit at the Fraunces Tavern Museum to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the start of The Revolutionary War. It's titled Path to the Emergence of of a Nation. Scott, when the British started making gains in Manhattan, what happened to Fraunces Tavern?

Well, you know, the city fell very early in the Revolution in August of 76, where Washington was forced to retreat to fight another day. So the tavern was left in the care of his son when Francis had to evacuate eventually. But he was brought back as an indentured servant of the British and was forced to work in his own tavern as an indentured servant to serve the Brit while they were occupying the city. But fortunately, it survived when a lot of the city burned early in the war. So it survived various onslaughts of physical destruction and people invading it and was the site of great celebration finally, at the end of the war.

Yeah. Apparently George Washington had a dinner there. Will you tell us more?

[Lisa Goulet]

Yeah. So at the close of the war, you know, the British have evacuated at the end of November in 1783, and this is cause for a huge celebration. And when Washington returns to New York City, he holds a banquet for his officers at Franz's Tavern on December 4th as his official goodbye. And from there, he departs back home to Mount Vernon.

[Scott Dwyer]

Scott, the exhibit kicks off the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War, but I'm told this programming is going to go on for several years.

Yes.

How is the museum involved in this major anniversary, and what are you going to be doing several years forth?

Well, it's twofold. The exhibition is where we'll be highlighting all the events of the revolution in an ongoing rotating basis. So right now, we have 75 and 76 on the walls. And then as we go through the years of the revolution, we'll be taking down objects and replacing them. So you always see something fresh when you come in every, you know, few months, or. No, lisa's G. I would say every year at least. But along with that, we'll also be doing programming to highlight various authors talking about the events and lectures and books that they're coming out with. So it'll be a really interesting focus on the events and individuals throughout the years.

[Alison Stewart]

Lisa, for this exhibit, you got to dig through the archives and look at the museum's collections. What was something that you discovered that you've been telling people about?

[Lisa Goulet]

Yeah, so, I mean, one of my favorite pieces in the entire museum's collection has come out of us scouring through our storage for items that have never been on display before. That is a painting by John Mackie Falconer of Independence House, where he thinks that Thomas Jefferson has drafted the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson was one of five people who were tasked with drafting, but he did the lion's share of the work holed up in a little apartment in the center of Philadelphia at the time. And what Falconer is actually representing in the painting, this is this mid19th century street scene of a very dilapidated 18th century home with a giant sign plastered on it that says Independence House. And it's actually one of up to five sites that at the time, you know, following the war and when ahead of the centennial, we were looking back to commemorating the first, you know, 50 or 100 years post war and celebrating that people were taking advantage of that and claiming that these sites, you know, these historical events happen at these sites. This is one of the five sites. It's ultimately two blocks away from the actual site. But I think that it's a really interesting piece in that, you know, it's someone who was early on interested in historic preservation. He did a whole series of paintings of historic structures and the like. And so he felt it was, you know, to me, it's interesting to consider how he. For this, for him, in the 1850s, this was true. Like this was the site of where Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. And so I think it's a really interesting snapshot of, you know, the memory of this building at the time.

[Alison Stewart]

Scott, as the exhibit, you know, obviously it starts in Lexington and Concord, but it moves to New York. The Revolutionary War, it moves through New York. Why did the city become so important?

[Scott Dwyer]

Well, it was the major city of the time, as it is today. And so the Declaration was read here shortly after it was published. Washington ordered. He was here at the time. So it was really the site of so much just people voicing their displeasure with how they were being governed against the quite oppressive laws that were coming against them. In a city that was very commerce appropriate, commerce oriented and taxing without representation was blight on everybody's well being. So everything was happening here in the city. And when revolution breaks out, this is where people are coming to express their displeasure.

[Alison Stewart]

Lisa, how do you want to use.

[Scott Dwyer]

This exhibit as a chance to highlight New York's role in the revolution?

[Lisa Goulet]

Yeah, so this is really a great chance, I think we wanted to focus on the main events. And a lot of these are familiar to most people coming in if they've, you know, if they're into history. And so. But we wanted to do it through the lens of what happened in New York specifically, not just in the city, but across the state. And so I'M looking into things that are outside of the purview of that main narrative in terms of geography. And then secondarily, we want to highlight the contributions of New Yorkers or people who were fighting in these New York battles. And so that's another part where I've been digging through our collections and finding pieces that have been rarely used or never used before. We have some extant objects, like Joshua Webster's pistol, who was the ancestor of the donor, but had really minimal documentation with it. And so we got it. This was a good chance to. Then I'm doing biographical research on some of these figures that aren't part of the central group of, let's say, founding fathers or major officers. And so this is where an excellent thing that I want to try and accomplish is expanding the biographical research on a lot of these people who have more of the commonplace artifacts because they represent a lot more of the sort of everyday soldier.

[Scott Dwyer]

Yeah. My guests are Scott Dwyer, executive director of the Fraunces Tavern Museum, and Lisa Goulet, who is the museum's collection manager. We're discussing the new exhibit at the Fraunces Tavern Museum to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the start of the Revolutionary War. It's titled Path to the Emergence of. There are cannonballs that were excavated near Franz's Tavern, but they damaged Franz's Tavern somehow. Could you explain?

Yes. So around the Battle of Long island, which was August of 76, the HMS Asia is stationed just outside New York harbor and shoots a cannonball into the city and it lands through the roof of Franz's Tavern. This is a significant event in the tavern's history, just because suddenly the revolution is not just the city, it's on the doorstep, it's through the roof. And so we are going to be talking about that event later this year when we have our anniversary commemoration of that. So look for cannonball cocktails. History. So combining a little bit of flair, a little bit of fun, a little bit of history. But, you know, this is really New York City getting the brunt of artillery fire during that period of the war.

You also have in the exhibit, Lisa, Nathan Hales.

[Lisa Goulet]

Yes.

[Scott Dwyer]

You have a letter from him. I believe he was hanged in New York. Is that right?

[Lisa Goulet]

He was hanged.

[Scott Dwyer]

I remember being hanged. So what does this letter say?

[Lisa Goulet]

This is, as far as we know, the last known letter of Nathan Hale. And it's written about a week, week and a half before the Battle of Long Island. So it's a letter to his brother Enoch back in Connecticut, and he's sort of recounting in it all of this ferv of activity that is happening in preparation for something over the summer of 76. You know, the British and American forces both recognize that New York as a major port is really critical to whatever side's success. And so Nathan is there before the battle starts, kind of fortifying, helping to fortify the city. He's part of an intelligence unit that is sort of scanning the city and waterways. And he also details an event, an engagement, where Americans tried to set fire to a British warship in it. And then he, I think, kind of concludes on a bit of an optimistic note. He's saying he's incredibly busy, but, you know, he thinks that we're going to prevail. However, unfortunately, immediately after the Battle of Long Island, Nathan Hale volunteers to remain behind after the British have taken it and act as a spy. And he's unfortunately discovered a few weeks later and then hanged in late September. But he becomes a martyr figure for the movement, and that's sort of how he's now remembered and rose to prominence that way.

[Scott Dwyer]

Another interesting artifact in the exhibit is a piece of fence from Bowling Green. Tell us why this piece of wood is so significant.

SCOTT well, there's two artifacts, a piece of wood and the piece of the fence. The piece of the fence, the fence is around Bowling Green. It's the fence that surrounds the statue of King George, which is toppled after the Declaration is read in the city. It's the site of, you know, where people are coming together to declare independence and declare their grievances, and, you know, that the king's reign is no more here in the city. So that piece comes from the original fence. I believe the fence was torn down and then reconfigured to what we have today that you can still see. But that piece comes from the original fence as it was being torn down to start a revolution.

[Alison Stewart]

LISA as you mentioned, there's art in this as well, but there's a piece of work which is kind of interesting because it's the depiction of the Battle of Brooklyn, but it was made in Europe. So what does this work of art tell us about the preconceived notions that Europeans had about the colonies?

[Lisa Goulet]

Yeah. So we have this really interesting print showing the British disembarkation onto Manhattan island by a German printer originally. And it's a perspective view, which was a type of fairly cheap entertainment intended for mass distribution. They're sort of like, really quickly sketched together and then colored in with a watercolor wash that's pretty splotchy and bright, right? And people would. Would have parties in their homes or traveling presenters would show these shows. And it was almost a way to keep up with current events because a lot of the time it depicted somewhat current events. But this scene in particular I love because the printer, he's someone who's never been to America and he's getting all of his information about the disembarkation from, I'm sure, correspondence and newspaper accounts on the continent and. But his scene has to then be a scene of. It is wholly imagined. And what it looks like is sort of this orderly descent of the troops off of a ship at a very. Like a very well manicured dock showing a European urban center which looked nothing like Kips Bay at the time, which was really a rough riverbed. And what actually happened was that the British stationed three massive warships and they were bombarding the side of the river while smaller boats of troops sort of stormed the shore, taking a lot of the military by surprise who were hanging out in readouts in a ditch like these temporary fortifications. So it's a really, really interesting sort of fantastical scene.

[Alison Stewart]

I'm having a Hamilton moment. Let's talk about some of the other things you're going to be having at the museum. What can visitors expect?

[Scott Dwyer]

Well, if you're coming for this special exhibition, you'll see all of our permanent galleries and all of our other exhib. We are famous for our Long Room, Washington's farewell site on the second floor. But more recently we've opened two other permanent galleries. One is Governoring the Nation, which talks about the tavern's time as the first executive federal government office building where the Departments of War, Foreign affairs and the Board of Treasury were all stationed while New York City was the capital between 1785 and 88. And then most recently we reopened our Birch Trials at Fraunces Tavern, which talks about the site of the tavern being where a group of British and American soldiers formed a commission to evaluate whether black Loyalists could evacuate with the rest of the British army based on claims of freedom that they had been given during the war, but came into conflict at the end of the war when the Treaty of Paris had language that was preventing them from leaving in a lot of cases. So we're talking about that in our permanent gallery. Then the rest are our Flag Gallery, which talks about regimental war flags from across regiments in the US and then of course our George Washington Portrait Gallery which has various images of Washington throughout his career in various different themes.

The name of the big exhibition is Path to the Emergence of a nation on the 250th anniversary of the start of the Revolutionary War. Scott Dwyer and Lisa Goulet have been my guests. Thank you for being with us.

Thank you.

[Lisa Goulet]

Thank you so much for having us.

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