Parke Building - Dover, Delaware
Posted by: 
ddtfamily
N 39° 09.395 W 075° 31.426
18S E 454745 N 4334283
Also known as the Old Capitol Hotel
Waymark Code: WMMKN1
Location: Delaware, United States
Date Posted: 10/04/2014
Views: 3
"7. The PARKE BUILDING NE corner of the Green and State St., a two-and-one-half story brick office building, occupies the site of a tavern built by Thomas Parke. French Battell was the innkeeper here during the Revolution, and once gave a banquet in honor of the birth of the French Dauphin. Battell was a man of varied accomplishments, and became the official powderer to the General Assembly. The Battell family held possession of the property until 1830."
-Delaware: A Guide to the First State, 1938
Today, markers affixed to the building note that this was previously the site of the Golden Fleece tavern, erected here in the 1730s, also known as Battell's Tavern. The building hosted the meetings of revolutionary committees and served as a point of exchange for wartime communications. It was at this site that Delaware's delegates met and ratified the U.S. Constitution, making Delaware the first state. Now known as the Parke Building or Capitol Hotel, the current building provided lodging while the courts and legislature were in session. A new Golden Fleece Tavern operates today, about three blocks to the northwest.
Click a photo to enlarge
