Overfield Tavern, Log tavern museum in Troy, Ohio, United States

The Overfield Tavern is a two-story hewn-log building with steeple-notched corners, built by Benjamin Overfield in 1808 on the bank of the Great Miami River. Attached to its north side by an enclosed dogtrot is a smaller log structure of about 1803, believed to be Overfield's original one-room family cabin. One-story additions were made on the north and east in the mid-nineteenth century, and the building shows Federal style elements.

Benjamin Overfield bought Lot 2 in Troy and finished his log tavern by fall 1808. That December, Miami County commissioners ordered court to be held in his house until a courthouse was built, and he furnished a room gratis; court sat there intermittently from 1808 to 1811. The new courthouse was not completed until 1824, and after a fire on Water Street that year Overfield moved the tavern business to the public square.

The building served as a meeting place where travelers and residents gathered for lodging and food. You can see how people spent their time here and how the tavern connected the community.

The tavern closed to the public after a fire on December 7, 2024, so visits inside are not possible for now. The hewn-log exterior walls were judged likely to survive, but the interior was largely gutted. The building stands along the Great Miami River bank in Troy; check locally before planning a stop.

A small one-room log cabin built by Benjamin Overfield in 1803 remains attached to the main tavern structure. This original dwelling reveals how early settlers lived before the larger building was added.