White Horse Tavern, Colonial restaurant in Newport, Rhode Island.
White Horse Tavern is a restaurant on the National Register of Historic Places in Newport, Rhode Island. The building shows dark wooden beams, several fireplaces, a clapboard facade, and a steep gambrel roof.
Francis Brinley had the building constructed as a residence in 1652. William Mayes Sr. converted it into a tavern in 1673, and it then served as a meeting place for courts and public gatherings.
The establishment earned recognition as the oldest operating restaurant in the United States and received National Historic Landmark status in 1972.
The restaurant opens for dinner several evenings a week and offers New England dishes in different dining rooms across two floors. The rooms have low ceilings and old wooden stairs that may be difficult for visitors with limited mobility.
Hessian mercenaries used the building as quarters during the Revolutionary War, forcing owner Walter Nichols to flee temporarily. After his return, he made improvements to the house and continued operations.
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