I had no idea that the building I was photographing had such history to it. I was, as always, just fascinated by the light.

Here’s some information (curtesy of my friend Jill Peters) from the Sebrell Historic District nomination form:

The Barn Tavern Hotel was a large building that had 26 rooms to accommodate guests. It was a popular stop along Jerusalem Road, and according to local history was much like other contemporary taverns, with gambling, cock fighting, and “gander pulling” being popular activities. Accounts have been related about the ownership of entire farms changing hands during nights of drinking and gambling. The “rowdiness and wickedness” was likely increased by the large number of brandy and distilled spirits which the area was famous for. Contemporary reports claim that apple and peach brandy were more profitable than field crops and the principle source of income for many Southampton farmers. Almost every farm in the county had an orchard and still.

In 1775, the tavern was passed down to Daniel Simmons and over the next 75 years other members of the Simmons family who were primarily responsible for the development of the Barn Tavern into a thriving village throughout the nineteenth century. By 1810 the village featured all of the conveniences of a small town, with the tavern, post office, livery stable, and blacksmith shop. In 1834, the original Barn Tavern building was destroyed in a windstorm. It has not been determined if a new tavern building was constructed (and later demolished), or if the tavern operation moved into the tavern keepers house, which is still extant. The tavern keepers house may have also functioned as a school in the early days of Barn Tavern.