Author: Reese Robinson

Taverns and the Mill Community

It is true, that in a populous city, there must be taverns and houses for public accommodation – but are we bound to give every man who will not work a license to sell liquor?1

Very little was written about the drinking establishments along the banks of the Brandywine during the first half of the 19th century. There are no maps from the period showing tavern locations, no census records identifying tavern owners, no formal advertising of tavern licenses, no mention of property usage in deed records, and nothing of note in the local newspapers. However, the lack of specifics in the news and written records does not indicate a lack of interest in the drinking habits of the mill workers or in the ‘tippling houses’ where they exercised these habits.

EI du Pont confronting workers who are drinking. Rough translation: "So what do you do with the rest of your time? Mr I, we have fun" Image Courtesy of Hagley Museum and Library.
EI du Pont confronting workers who are drinking.
Rough translation: “So what do you do with the rest of your time? Mr I, we have fun”
Image Courtesy of Hagley Museum and Library.
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Twelve Respectable Citizens

As noted in the previous article, a law passed in 1873 required individuals who wanted to operate a tavern to apply to the Clerk of the Peace for the license. In addition, they had to advertise their plan in the local newspaper and file a “certificate containing the signatures of twelve respectable citizens who affirmed that the applicant was of good character, that he owned a suitable house, and that a tavern was needed”.1

This 1873 application2 from Thomas Toy shows the form and format of these requests.

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Introducing the ‘Tavern Project’

“Entertainment for Man and Beast“

This is the first in a series of articles about the licit and illicit drinking establishments operating in the vicinity of Henry Clay (or ‘Rising Sun’) after the founding of the Dupont powder mills in 1802. As the community grew, so did the importance of taverns in the social, recreational and political activities of the mill workers. At one point Rising Sun had so many taverns that two were numbered “Rising Sun Tavern No. 1” and Rising Sun Tavern No. 2”. This led a newspaper report in 1873 to wonder,

“But what is the design in commencing to number the taverns, unless it is feared that there won’t be names enough for all? For a thirsty man, whose stomach won’t bear water, we recommend Rising Sun. It’s bound to shine!”1

Hagley workmen in saloon

We will start with a bit of history and background on the role of taverns in the United States in general and Delaware in particular. We will look at the laws and regulations that governed the operating of drinking establishments before exploring the taverns of Henry Clay in more detail.

These Henry Clay articles will focus on the physical taverns themselves, looking at their ownership or proprietorship over the years and looking into the lives of these individuals. For example, the Toy Tavern on Main Street was originally owned by Patrick Higgins, a wealthy landowner, in the early 1800s. It was purchased by James Toy in 1848 and operated as the Jefferson House. The tavern later passed to John Thomas Toy, son of James, and became known as the William Penn Hotel. After the passing of John Thomas, the tavern was rented and operated by a number of local residents until Prohibition. Each of these people contributed to the character of the tavern during their tenure.

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Brandywine Banks

To the uninitiated, the place names associated with the Toy family can be a bit confusing.  The first few generations of the Toys following the arrival of Daniel Toy (1789 – 1832) are associated with the area that today ranges from the entrance to the Hagley Museum at Old Barley Mill Road along Brandywine Creek and up Brecks Lane, continuing along the creek and up Rising Sun Lane.

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The Case for Neil Toy’s Late Arrival

Many Toy family researchers, myself included, originally believed that Neil Toy arrived in the US along with the rest of his family in Sept of 1817, but there is a case to be made that Daniel and Rosanna arrived with their youngest child, James, while Neil was left behind in Ireland and arrived much later. I’ve discussed this with several family members and readers of this blog but thought it was time to write it down.

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The Brandywine Manufacturers’ Sunday School

I’ve written several times about the richness of the records at the Hagley Museum and Library for family history research, assuming you’re fortunate enough to have a family member that was associated with the duPont Company during it’s early years in Delaware. If your family did work in the duPont powder mills during the early-to-mid 1800s, or in one of the neighboring textile mills, there was a good chance that the children received their early education at the Brandywine Manufacturer’s Sunday School.

BMSS

Brandywine Manufacturers’ Sunday School – Courtesy of Hagley Museum and Library

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