Tun Tavern

Where was the Tun Tavern located? What role did Tun Tavern play in ensuring the freedom of the colonies during the American Revolution? What affiliation does the Tun Tavern have with Freemasonry during the colonial era?

Tun Tavern was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at the intersection of King Street (later renamed Walter) and Tun Alley. Tun is an old English word that means “barrel or keg of beer.” Being built in 1689, and serving as a center of social fellowship for men of the Philadelphia community, Tun Tavern was no stranger to the formation of important and influential organizations being founded within its walls.

The St. George Society, 1720, was a charitable organization founded to assist needy Englishmen in their arrival within the new colony.

St. John’s Lodge, 1732, was founded as the first lodge in the Pennsylvania colony. The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania recognizes Tun Tavern as the birthplace of masonry in the United States and the beginnings of Masonic teaching and education in the United States. Founding father and Illustrious freemason, Bro. Benjamin Franklin, was a member of St. John’s Lodge.

The St. Andrew’s Society, 1747, which like the St. George Society, was a charitable organization founded to assist newly arrived Scottish.

In 1756, Benjamin Franklin used the Tun Tavern as a place of recruitment to form the Pennsylvania Militia in preparation against the Native American uprisings.

The most famous organization, however, was founded on November 10, 1775, when innkeeper, Bro. Samuel Nicholas, was charged with raising two battalions of fighting men. The tavern’s manager, Bro. Robert Mullan, served as the chief recruiter. These fighting men were charged with serving to protect the interest of the Continental Navy and were commissioned as sharpshooters aboard Continental navy vessels. The first company consisted of 100 Rhode Islanders commanded by Captain Nicholas.

Tun Tavern burned down in 1781, and all that now that stands in its place is a memorial marker near its original location, but each year on November 10, we remember Tun Tavern, those dedicated fighting men and their mark on history with traditional ceremonies across the world, complete with regal celebrations and an elaborate cake cutting ceremony, as the birth of The United States Marines.

Semper Fidelis!