People and communities
Gabreil Daveis Tavern: the widow’s decision and a mistaken hospital
Documented history · Sources compared
A tavern closed when its proprietor declined another license; a later naming error gave the building a different history.
Trade and township business shared a room
The Historic Trust dates the tavern to 1756 and connects its customers with the Great Irish Road and Timber Creek’s lumber traffic. Elections and town meetings used it from 1757 to 1770. Sarah Daveis, widowed, declined to renew the tavern license in 1769; the building subsequently served as a residence. Her decision marks a change of function rather than a vanished structure.
A federal listing needed correction
The 1973 nomination used erroneous HABS research to identify it as the Hillman Hospital House, a different building. Historian William Leap’s 1977 amendment corrected the National Register name. The mistaken institutional label should not become evidence that medical work occurred here. New Jersey Historic Trust site record.
Sources and research limits
The Trust explicitly documents the naming correction. The original license and 1977 amendment were not independently inspected. The record’s Gabreil spelling is retained; later occupants’ military roles are not expanded without their records.