Putnam Cottage was also known as Knapp Tavern during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

. It is located at 243 East Putnam Avenue (

United States Route 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making ...

), on the former route of the Boston Post Road, in

Greenwich, Connecticut Greenwich (, ) is a town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. At the 2020 census, the town had a total population of 63,518. The largest town on Connecticut's Gold Coast, Greenwich is home to many hedge funds and other ...

Early History

Early records show that in February 1680, a Greenwich Town Meeting ordered Justus Bush, John Lockwood and Joseph Ferris to lay out a township upon the land lying nearby Horseneck Brook, to number twenty home lots of four acres each and a piece of land for a common. Captain Israel Knapp bought the Horseneck property in 1692. Architectural historians have stated that the east front room could have been built prior to this date. A house was built on site possibly during the first quarter of the 1700s. By 1750 the original home had been expanded by Timothy Knapp for use as a small tavern, and was a gathering place for the local Freemasons. It became known as Knapp's Tavern from 1754 on and during the American Revolution particularly. The tavern served locals, travelers, militia and also many Continental troops during 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 ...

. In 1776, General

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 ...

stopped there with his troops for lunch, as evidenced by his expense report on file with the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

The American Revolution

Knapp's Tavern became chiefly associated with General

Israel Putnam Israel Putnam (January 7, 1718 – May 29, 1790), popularly known as "Old Put", was an American military officer and landowner who fought with distinction at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). He als ...

and his historic escape from the British on February 26, 1779, at the Battle of Horse Neck (Greenwich), at a place close to the tavern.

The Battle of Horse Neck

On the evening of February 24, a battalion of British troops was formed; consisting of companies from the 17th of Foot, the 44th of Foot and the 57th of Foot, also a company of Hessian Guards, a Loyalist companies of Emmerick's

chasseurs ''Chasseur'' ( , ), a French term for "hunter", is the designation given to certain regiments of French and Belgian light infantry () or light cavalry () to denote troops trained for rapid action. History This branch of the French Army or ...

and dragoons, and the

Loyal American Regiment The Loyal American Regiment was a British Provincial regiment raised in 1777 for Loyalist service during the American Revolutionary War. The regiment fought in many engagements throughout the war and the men were among the thousands of loyalists ...

, plus a small detachment of the royal artillery. Commanded by Major-General

William Tryon Lieutenant-General William Tryon (8 June 172927 January 1788) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator who served as governor of North Carolina from 1764 to 1771 and the governor of New York from 1771 to 1777. He also served durin ...

, the British marched from King's Bridge, and proceeded to Horse Neck, in Connecticut, where they arrived on the morning of February 26. As the battalion entered the town, they were halted by locals and militia tearing up the bridge at Byram. A company of the 5th Connecticut, and more militia, was stationed on Put's Hill near Knapp's Tavern, under the command of General Putnam. The Continentals exchanged fire with the British but soon retired in good order, leaving their three field-pieces ( four-pounders) behind them. The British spiked the artillery, and also captured a large quantity of ammunition and stores found nearby. A detachment of the 17th and 44th of Foot was sent into the village of Greenwich, where they destroyed the local

saltworks A saltern is an area or installation for making salt. Salterns include modern salt-making works (saltworks), as well as hypersaline waters that usually contain high concentrations of halophilic microorganisms, primarily haloarchaea but also othe ...

, more military stores, a fishing schooner, and two small

ketch A ketch is a two- masted sailboat whose mainmast is taller than the mizzen mast (or aft-mast), and whose mizzen mast is stepped forward of the rudder post. The mizzen mast stepped forward of the rudder post is what distinguishes the ketch fr ...

es; after which they rejoined the rest of the battalion at Elizabeth's Point. Determining that more Continental and militia troops would arrive the next morning, Tryon ordered the battalion back to King's Bridge.

Putnam's Ride

Gen Putnam was pursued by British dragoons, and was forced to ride down Put's Hill, in order to eluded capture. This historic scene is depicted on the seal of the Town of Greenwich, and the name of Putnam is found throughout the State of

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

.Livingston, William Farrand. ''Israel Putnam: Pioneer, Ranger, and Major-General, 1718-1790,'' pp. 389-93, G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York and London, 1901.

Later history

In the 19th century changes were made to the structure: ceilings were raised, windows were changed, and a porch was added on the front. In 1906, the house was purchased by the Israel Putnam House Association, Inc. Since 1910, the property has been the Historic Preservation Project of the Putnam Hill Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution. The DAR raised funds to restore its 17th century appearance to coincide with the

United States Bicentennial The United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to historical events leading up to the creation of the United States of America as an independent republic. It was a central event ...

in 1976. The Cottage, the colonial garden, and a replica of the outhouse may be viewed by arrangement with the Putnam Hill Chapter DAR. Putnam Cottage is currently maintained as a Revolutionary-era tavern museum open to the public. The museum also provides education in the town's history as well as recreating drama in the occasional reenactments of Revolutionary War events.

Pictures

Image:DoorwayPutnamCottageKnappsTavernGreenwichCT08312008.jpg, Front entrance Image:SidingPutnamCottageKnappsTavernGreenwichCT08312008.jpg, Fish-scale siding Image:ColonialGardenPutnamCottageKnappTavernGreenwichCT08312008.jpg, Colonial garden Image:OuthousePutnamCottageGreenwichCT08312008.jpg, Outhouse replica on the grounds

References

External links

Putnam Cottage – Knapp Tavern Museum

{{National Register of Historic Places Drinking establishments on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut Historic district contributing properties in Connecticut Historic house museums in Connecticut Hotel buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut Houses completed in 1779 Houses in Greenwich, Connecticut Museums in Fairfield County, Connecticut National Register of Historic Places in Fairfield County, Connecticut Taverns in the American Revolution