Last week’s Photo Challenge rang a bell with many readers.
Ed Simek’s image showed the large bell that sits outside the Saugatuck fire station — officially, it’s “Saugatuck Hose Company Engine Company 4” — on Riverside Avenue. (Click here to see.)
The bell is a favorite with kids who wander over from nearby Saugatuck Sweets. They also enjoy the restored 1940s-era fire truck — and the friendly, welcoming vibe from all the firefighters there.
Of course, sometimes they have to leave the station on a call. That’s why — as tempting as it is to inch forward — you should never block the road in front of the bell.
Andrew Colabella, Fred Cantor, Diane Silfen, Matt Murray, Wendy Cusick, Tom Risch, Mary Ann Batsell, Amy Schneider and Rick Benson all knew the answer to this very easy Photo Challenge.
Tomorrow is Presidents Day. (Or Presidents’ Day — the jury is out on that apostrophe.)
In its* honor, we present Anne Bernier’s Photo Challenge. Way back in the day, George Washington** really did sleep here. This plaque commemorates his visit.
(Photo/Anne Bernier)
So today’s Photo Challenge is: Where in Westport would you find Marvin Tavern today?
And if you’d like to get into the weeds, answer this one too: Why doesn’t the plaque call it Marvin’s Tavern?
*Not, for some reason, it’s.
** Whose February 22 birthday has been co-opted as a federal holiday, by all 44 presidents who followed him.
I think Marvin’s (aka Washington Inn) stood on the north side of PRW near where KH South comes in. As I recall the general noted in his diary that the food at Marvin’s was underwhelming.
“Where in Westport would you find Marvin Tavern TODAY? You mean there IS such a place today? But having just looked at Woody Klein’s book after yesterday’s post, I see the original tavern was on the “north side of the Post Road, opposite Kings Highway South. I assume the apostrophe is just optional.
I guess the real question is Where is this plaque?
Dan, you don’t know the reason?
>
Nope.
On Post Road West across from Birchwood Country Club near Sylvan Road North
Marvin Tavern stood on what we now call Post Road West. As Morley Boyd and Peter Barlow note, it was near Kings Highway South. Specifically, the plaque is at 290 Post Road West. That’s the United Food & Commercial Workers building, next to the now empty UBS headquarters — pretty much directly opposite Kings Highway South. Probably the only people who see the plaque are folks in the parking lot. There’s not a lot of foot traffic there.
And Morley is also correct. According to Woody Klein’s history of Westport, President Washington spent the night of November 11, 1789 at the inn of Captain Ozias Marvin. His wife Sarah and her daughters cooked up a mammoth meal: loaves of brown bread, pies, the finest vegetables from their farm, huge roasts hanging from an open fire.”
However, President Washington asked only for a bowl of bread, and milk. (The rest of his party enjoyed the feast.) In his diary, Washington called it “not a good house, though the people of it were disposed to do all they could to accommodate me.”
For many years, the tavern was known as “The Washington Inn.”
Good thing internet connections were intermittent at best when Gen. Washington ate at the Marvin Inn. Can you imagine the humiliation of a bad review from THAT person?
As a sidebar, wait until the new Westport Grievance Museum notices that its previous self celebrated a visit by a slave owner. If there’s still anyone left in the building, I predict more blood purges this coming week.
Christ & Holy Trinity
No – that was the site of Disbrow Tavern, where George Washington (as general) previously stayed.
thx for correction
The British saw all the lousy Yelp reviews about the Marvin and decided to occupy the Disbrow instead. Of course, the Disbrow, in a somewhat cynical marketing move, noted on its site that its downtown location made it ideal for shopping and burning.
Dan stated “*Not, for some reason, it’s.” That’s because “it’s” is a contraction of “it is.”
I love Morley’s dry wit. 😁🤣😁😂🤣👌