George Washington never made it to East Hampton. The closest he got by land was probably Roe Tavern in Setauket during his 1790 tour of Long Island. Roe Tavern appears in this picture, probably an early postcard pasted into a scrapbook of Washington’s tour put together by Morton Pennypacker (1872-1956), the Long Island Collection’s founder. Most of the scrapbook contains 1927 newspaper articles chronicling efforts to re-enact the trip, along with a few other photos and documents.
This particular photo of the old tavern bears the mark “Feather Photo,” identifying the photographer as Robert S. Feather, a Smithtown jeweler. He probably took it around 1916 to 1918, based on the history of the property, which included use as a school for boys in 1912, and drawings depicting it in around 1917. The structure was built in 1703 and moved in 1936, when its owner became concerned about the expansion of Route 25A.
The tavern’s name comes from Austin Roe (1748-1830), its owner and operator, who served as the courier for the Culper Spy Ring, regularly riding the 60 miles from his tavern to Lower Manhattan, then carrying secret messages back east from Robert Townsend for the rest of the Culper Ring to forward to George Washington.
Washington’s decision to stay at Roe Tavern is often attributed to Roe’s wartime service, although his account of the trip for April 22, 1790, makes no mention of that connection. According to Washington, “the House of Capt. Roe is tolerably [decent] with obliging people in it.” He neglected to mention that Roe broke his leg rushing home to see Washington, leaving him lame for the rest of his life.
Last year Brookhaven Town officials announced plans to buy the now-private building and relocate it to a town property approximately half a mile from its original location at 325 Main Street in East Setauket.
Andrea Meyer, a librarian and archivist, is the head of collection for the East Hampton Library’s Long Island Collection.
