Higgins Tavern

From Colonial times until the late 19th century, taverns stood at almost every crossroad and trading center and served as the center of life for rural communities, where mail was received, goods were traded, travelers slept, newspapers were read, local news was shared, and hard liquor was imbibed. Higgins Tavern was built in 1823, not long after the Georgetown-to-Brookeville Turnpike, present Georgia Avenue, was constructed. It was unusual because it was owned by women, Lucretia Beall from 1823 to 1867 and Margaret Higgins from 1867 until her death in 1905, even though historical records referred to it by the names of the men with whom they lived, Thomas Higgins and Hilleary Orme Higgins. The original log structure was enlarged in the mid 1800s. Higgins Tavern gained some notoriety in October 1872 when it hosted a Democratic Party meeting attended by presidential candidate Horace Greeley, congressional candidate John Ritchie, and Maryland House of Delegates candidate Frank Brown. In the early 1920s, the property was sold to Oscar Martin, who operated Martin's Dairy there for half a century, processing milk brought in by local farmers, and the Martin family also ran a very popular ice cream parlor on the premises while the tavern building served as the family home.

Olney, Maryland · United States