The Cedar Bridge Tavern is a historic building located in the

New Jersey Pine Barrens The New Jersey Pine Barrens, also known as the Pinelands or simply the Pines, is the largest remaining example of the Atlantic coastal pine barrens ecosystem, stretching across more than seven counties of New Jersey. Two other large, contiguou ...

in Barnegat Township. It was built around 1740 and is believed to be the oldest intact bar in the United States. It is located at the site of the last skirmish of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. It is on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

History

The Affair at Cedar Bridge or the Battle of Cedar Bridge

While the

Siege of Yorktown The Siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown, the surrender at Yorktown, or the German battle (from the presence of Germans in all three armies), beginning on September 28, 1781, and ending on October 19, 1781, at Yorktown, Virgi ...

and surrender by

Cornwallis Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805), styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as the Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army general and official. In the United S ...

is considered the last major conflict on American soil during the American Revolution, dozens of small engagements and skirmishes took place up to the signing of the

Treaty of Paris Treaty of Paris may refer to one of many treaties signed in Paris, France: Treaties 1200s and 1300s * Treaty of Paris (1229), which ended the Albigensian Crusade * Treaty of Paris (1259), between Henry III of England and Louis IX of France * Trea ...

. The last conflict took place on the Jersey Shore in 1782. On December 27, 1782, forces for the new republic led by Captains Richard Shreve and Edward Thomas were informed that notorious

Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...

John Bacon was in the vicinity of the tavern. They engaged Bacon and his Loyalist bandits (known now as "Refugees") at Cedar Bridge. A brief exchange of gunfire took place, and Bacon and his men were able to escape. One Patriot was killed, and four were wounded. Four Loyalists were wounded, including Bacon.

Historic site

According to a 1981 survey by preservationists working with the

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

Office of Cultural and Environmental Services, the Cedar Bridge Tavern was estimated to have been built around 1740 close to a stage coach route between Camden and the

Jersey Shore The Jersey Shore (known by locals simply as the Shore) is the coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Geographically, the term encompasses about of oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy in the north to Cape May Po ...

. The wood-sided tavern with the long front porch has served as a hotel, restaurant and bar for travelers.

Ocean County Ocean County is a county located along the Jersey Shore in the south-central portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It borders the Atlantic Ocean on the east. Its county seat is Toms River.National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

on August 7, 2013. Ocean County is spending $2.2 million to refurbish and develop the site, including building a caretaker's cottage and an outdoor classroom facility.Larsen, Erik. Ocean County to develop Cedar Bridge Tavern in Barnegat. ''Asbury Park Press'' February 24, 2016. http://www.atlanticbb.net/front_controller.php/news/read/category/State/article/asbury_park_press-ocean_county_to_develop_cedar_bridge_tavern_in_bar-tca Accessed April 23, 2017

Historical reenactment

The "Affair at Cedar Bridge" is reenacted each year on December 17.

References

*Farner, Thomas P. ''New Jersey in History: Fighting to Be Heard''. Down the Shore Pub., January 1, 1996.
Historic Pen Company
Accessed May 8, 2016.

External links

Cedar Bridge Tavern, U.S. National Register of Historic Places - NPS Document
* {{NRHP in Ocean County, New Jersey Barnegat Township, New Jersey National Register of Historic Places in Ocean County, New Jersey Historic American Buildings Survey in New Jersey Buildings and structures completed in 1740 Taverns in New Jersey Taverns in the American Revolution New Jersey in the American Revolution Drinking establishments on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey Battles of the American Revolutionary War in New Jersey American Revolution on the National Register of Historic Places Conflicts in 1782