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The Three Pigeons was a prominent and famous meeting place in Bergen Township,
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 ...
during the revolutionary period, and was used historically as a landmark as well as a popular place for hosting special occasions.


Location and name

The Three Pigeons stood at the bottom of the west side of the
Hudson Palisades The Palisades, also called the New Jersey Palisades or the Hudson River Palisades, are a line of steep cliffs along the west side of the lower Hudson River in Northeastern New Jersey and Southeastern New York in the United States. The cliffs s ...
, east of a main road that was later to be the Hackensack Turnpike, and currently
Bergen Turnpike Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula o ...
. The two-story building was located near the southern fringe of the settlement of
Maisland Maisland, or Mais Land, was an area in Hudson County, New Jersey. Location The region of Maisland was located on the western slope of the Hudson Palisades. Under the governorship of Philip Carteret, land in the region of Bergen was sold under th ...
near the intersection of what is now
Tonnelle Avenue U.S. Route 1/9 (US 1/9) is the long concurrency of US 1 and US 9 from their junction in Woodbridge Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, north to New York City. The route is a multilane road with some freeway portions that runs through ...
and
Hackensack Plank Road The Hackensack Plank Road, also known as Bergen Turnpike, was a major artery which connected the cities of Hoboken and Hackensack, New Jersey. Like its cousin routes, the Newark Plank Road and Paterson Plank Road, it travelled over Bergen Hill a ...
, within modern
North Bergen, New Jersey North Bergen is a township in the northern part of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township had a total population of 63,361. The township was founded in 1843. It was much diminished in territory by ...
., Today, the intersection is called "Six Corners", where a laundromat and cafe share the same name, in the residential and commercial neighborhood called New Durham. By the time the inn was erected, the name ''Three Pigeons'' had been used repeatedly in plays as the backdrop for scenes, for instance in ''
She Stoops to Conquer ''She Stoops to Conquer'' is a comedy by Oliver Goldsmith, first performed in London in 1773. The play is a favourite for study by English literature and theatre classes in the English-speaking world. It is one of the few plays from the 18t ...
'' (1773), Shakespeare's '' The Merry Wives of Windsor'' (1602) and
Ben Jonson Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for t ...
's ''
The Alchemist An alchemist is a person who practices alchemy. Alchemist or Alchemyst may also refer to: Books and stories * ''The Alchemist'' (novel), the translated title of a 1988 allegorical novel by Paulo Coelho * ''The Alchemist'' (play), a play by Be ...
'' (1610). Later literary scenes involving a "Three Pigeons" appear in '' Creatures of Impulse'' (1870) and
Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
' '' Our Mutual Friend'' (1864–65),Caledonian, p. 441. as well as in actual inns, such as the English Shakespearian actor
John Lowin John Lowin (baptized 9 December 1576 – buried – 24 August 1653) was an English actor. Early life Born in St Giles-without-Cripplegate, London, Lowin was the son of a tanner. Like Robert Armin, he was apprenticed to a goldsmith. Whil ...
's "The Three Pigeons" at Brentford. It has been said that the name "Three Pigeons" in any of its variants may have more literary associations than any other tavern name. Many other inns and taverns in England still use this name today.


History

The earliest account is of a tavern keeper, William Earle who was born in 1690, and flourished in the early 18th century. Prior to the American Revolution, the Three Pigeons Tavern was well known in the area during the
colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...
era where the community in New Durham was located, as can be seen in the map below printed 1776. Along with Snake Hill and Priors' Mills, Three Pigeons made up one of three prominent land points in
Hudson County Hudson County is the most densely populated county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It lies west of the lower Hudson River, which was named for Henry Hudson, the sea captain who explored the area in 1609. Part of New Jersey's Gateway Region in ...
; with the Three Pigeons namely being a site well referenced in describing proximity at the time as well.Winfield, p. 546Winfield, p. 152. It has been said that General Washington had also spent time at the Three Pigeons, likely before and during the years of the revolution.


American Revolution

On March 14, 1779, Colonel Van Buskirk, a British loyalist in the
New Jersey Volunteers The New Jersey Volunteers, also known as Jersey Volunteers, "Skinners", Skinner's Corps, and Skinner's Greens (due to their green wool uniform coats), were a British provincial military unit of Loyalists, raised for service by Cortlandt Skinner, ...
received intelligence that a party of Carolina Troops, along with a Captain and Lieutenant were at the Three Pigeons. Van Buskirk dispatched the Fourth Battalion and a lieutenant to approach the building, but the rebels were able to escape into the Bergen Woods. They were chased for 12 miles, and in the end after shots were exchanged, 2 rebels were captured as prisoners. Months later, during the Battle of Paulus Hook, Major
Light Horse Harry Lee Henry Lee III (January 29, 1756 – March 25, 1818) was an early American Patriot and U.S. politician who served as the ninth Governor of Virginia and as the Virginia Representative to the United States Congress. Lee's service during the Amer ...
along with Captain Handy and the rest of his men moved towards Douwe's Ferry at the
Hackensack River The Hackensack River is a river, approximately 45 miles (72 km) long, in the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and New Jersey, emptying into Newark Bay, a back chamber of New York Harbor. The drainage basin, watershed of the ri ...
to cross with prisoners, only to find no boats, leaving Lee to return the way he came from fear of capture if remaining like sitting ducks. After diverting back, Lee picked up 50 of his lost Virginians at the Three Pigeons and assigned them as flankers. Then at Fort Lee Ferry Road, Lee's troops, as decided by
Lord Stirling William Alexander, also known as Lord Stirling (1726 – 15 January 1783), was a Scottish-American major general during the American Revolutionary War. He was considered male heir to the Scottish title of Earl of Stirling through Scottish line ...
, were reinforced by Colonel Henry Ball along with 200 additional troops, and soon after were attacked unsuccessfully by Van Buskirk and his
Tories A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. The ...
from within the Bergen woods. By August 19, Lee led his troops and 159 prisoners safely to New Bridge. One Captain Meals was captured at the Three Pigeons, and on him were found the positions and orders of Lee's command relating to the attack and march at Paulus Hook.Winfield, p. 160 Finally, on October 20, Lee met for the last time with John Champe, a double agent chosen by
George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...
and Lee himself in an attempt to capture the American traitor Benedict Arnold, sent Champe up the road up towards the Three Pigeons, and worked to give him a start of about an hour and a quarter before he would release the information of Champe's whereabouts to the dragoons. Just above the Three Pigeons, Champe and the dragoons simultaneously spotted each other; troopers then began pursuit of Champe, but were unsuccessful as Champe had jumped into the Hudson and was picked up by a British boat, claiming to seek British protection in New York City. Also during the revolution, a British adherent who had tried to visit his family was captured at the Three Pigeons and was subsequently killed.


Afterwards

For local Bergen and regional elections, the Three Pigeons was used as a voting house for the mayoral elections from 1804 through 1806; it would open there during these years and close at Peter Stuyvesant's,Winfield, p. 299. another local tavern on the southwest corner of Bergen and Glenwood Avenues. James Gore King, a prominent businessmen and Whig Party politician endorsed
General Winfield Scott Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as a general in the United States Army from 1814 to 1861, taking part in the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, the early s ...
's bid for presidency, a fellow whig, and gave a speech in support at the Three Pigeons in 1852. It had been used repeatedly during the remainder of the 19th century as a landmark for describing official government and military positions,Winfield, p. 189. as well as in deed purchases. Finally in 1893, the Three Pigeons was destroyed.McNally, p. 102.


References


Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * * {{Coord, 40.782626, -74.032856, display=title History of New Jersey North Bergen, New Jersey New Jersey in the American Revolution Taverns in New Jersey Taverns in the American Revolution 1893 disestablishments in New Jersey 1700s establishments in New Jersey