Indian Chief Tavern - New Jersey Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

By 1815, Medford Village had over 20 houses and severly businesses. The Indian Chief Tavern was built in l8l0 by Richard Reeve, the cabinetmaker. The building has been restored by Frank Salicondro. The tavern was oeprated by Samuel Hartman from l980 to 1824, after which his widow operated it for a year and then Stacy Kirkbride took over during the heyday of the stagecoach. Stages would arrive from Philadelphia via Marlton Pike and Shinntown Road. The line ran from Vincentown through Medford, Marlton, Ellisburg and Camden. Around l847, the innkeeper was Jacob Leeds. Stagecoaches at that time were post coaches consisting of three transverse seats, each holding three persons. The front seat passengers rode backwards. A tenth passenger could ride outside tihe the driver. The tavern had a stable with 20 stalls, a 100 foot shed built in l852, a wood house and an ice house. In bad weather, horses and wagons wore deep ruts in the road, often becoming bogged down in the mire. It was decided that trees shorn of their branches and laid side by side parallel to the road would improve conditions, and Medford had its first pole road, even though the road was a bit bumpy!
If you were to stand on this corner on asummer evening about 75 years ago you would have seen numerous teams of horses pulling wagons loaded with produce headed for Philadelphia. They came from the north and south on Main, rounded the corner onto Union, and proceeded down Old Marlton Pike.

Marker Name: The Indian Chief Tavern Marker Type: Local? Unofficial Marker text: The Tavern built in 1810 by Richard Reeve was on the site of the lodge of Lenape Chief. It prospered until the Railroad arrived, but lost favor with the advent of automobles and the coming of prohibition. Dedication Date: 09/14/1975 City: Medford County: Burlington Group responsible for placement: Unknown Web Link: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
A photo of the 'Marker' or 'Plaque' is required to identify the location, plus a picture of the 'Historic Site', please ALSO provide a detailed description of your visit so we can form a 'mental image'

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.