The structure that today houses the White Horse bar was once constructed as a home for a wealthy businessman, but it changed its use in 1673 and has remained a bar ever since. The bar has a lengthy history and has been a favorite hangout for sailors, businessmen, and politicians including George Washington and Benjamin Franklin.
Over the years, The White Horse Tavern has undergone a considerable amount of change, including a brief shutdown during Prohibition. The Volstead Act, which made it illegal to produce, sell, or transport alcoholic beverages at this time, encouraged the growth of bootleggers and speakeasies all over the nation.
In order to evade detection, bootleggers would bring alcohol into the United States from other nations, frequently concealing it in hidden compartments in their cars or through other cunning techniques. Conversely, speakeasies were covert places where people would congregate to drink and converse.
Many speakeasies were able to become legal bars and eateries when Prohibition was repealed in 1933. Others, though, were compelled to permanently shut their doors. But the White Horse Tavern kept going during Prohibition and beyond, earning its reputation as a cherished landmark in American history.
There are other bars and taverns across the United States that make the claim to being the oldest in different categories, such as the oldest continuously operating brewery or the oldest bar in a particular city or state, even though the White Horse Tavern is unquestionably the oldest continuously operating bar in the nation.
It’s important to remember that not every state applied Prohibition equally. While some states, like New York and New Jersey, were renowned for their lax enforcement policies, others, like Kansas and Mississippi, had far harsher laws in place. Regardless of your position on Prohibition, it is certain that the White Horse Tavern has endured and continues to be a cherished part of American history.