On the cobblestone corner of Pearl and Broad Streets in lower Manhattan stands a sturdy, three story brick building with paned windows and old-world charm that belies it’s revolutionary past.

This is Fraunces Tavern, a New York City landmark that has witnessed the birth of a nation, the tearful farewell of a general and centuries of American history.

Originally built in 1719 as a home for merchant Steven Delancey, the structure was later transformed into a tavern by Samuel Fraunces.   By 1762,  Fraunces had established a bustling inn known as the “Queen’s Head Tavern”, a meeting place for patriots, politicians and plotters of rebellion.

In the years leading up to the American Revolution, Fraunces Tavern became a hotspot for the “Sons of Liberty”, who held meetings upstairs, plotting resistance against British rule.   The tavern’s wooden beams echoed with debates about taxes, tyranny and freedom.

As tensions often flared, it became not just a pub but a nerve center for revolution.

It’s most poignant moment came on December 4, 1783, inside the Long Room on the second floor, General George Washington gathered with his officers of the Continental Army for one final farewell.

With tears in his eyes, he raised his glass and said “With a heart full of love and gratitude, I now take leave of you.”  Having drank he continued “I cannot come to each of you to take my leave, but shall be obliged to you if each will come and take me by the hand.”   This he did with each of his officers, while in tears, sobs stifled utterance.

That moment preserved in paintings and journals, gives the tavern a soul that history cannot erase.

Samuel Fraunces was an excellent cook and he had made some of the dishes at the tavern himself.  Some of the food he served included beef steaks, mutton, pork chops, veal cutlets, soup and pickled or fried oysters.   Washington’s favorite was the chicken pot pie there.

Today Fraunces Tavern is both a restaurant and a museum, where visitors can explore colonial artifacts and dine where founding fathers once raised tankards.

You can almost hear the clinking of glasses, the murmur of strategy and the footsteps of Washington himself.

More than a historic building Fraunces Tavern is a living symbol of American resilience–a place where Independence was not just declared but deeply felt, toasted and ultimately realized.