American History Passes through a Local Tavern

A reconstruction of a room in Asa Barnes' tavern, based on list of items that Barnes owned. IMAGES COURTESY OF CHRISTINA VOLPE

Christina Volpe, Director of Southington’s Barnes Museum, is enthusiastic about sharing her love and knowledge of local history with the community. The author, curator and educator has picked a good point in history to carry out her work. With the America 250 celebration picking up steam in towns across the United States, including Southington, and with works like Ken Burns’s recent PBS documentary The American Revolution opening up more topics for debate, a growing desire on the part of the public to understand the country’s origins is evident. On the evening of April 21, Kinsmen Brewing Company hosted Volpe in its Clark Hall for a public talk mixing beer, pizza, and a crash course in how the Revolution unfolded in the area.

As Volpe put it, America has been characterized by a “dichotomy” from its early days. While today that might take the form of Team Red vs. Team Blue, at the time it was Patriots seeking a free America vs. Tories still loyal to the British Crown. That split played out in early Southington as well, with some residents fighting for the American cause and others retaining allegiance to the Crown. Prior to the Revolution, timber was harvested from Connecticut forests, such as the woods around Crescent Lake, to serve as ship masts for the Royal Navy in its wars against Spain. Those that profited from cooperation with Britain weren’t always keen to defy one of the world’s preeminent military and imperial powers.

But once Southington officially became a Town in 1779, several prominent residents declared their allegiance to the American project. Among them was tavern-keeper Asa Barnes, whose hospitality became internationally recognized and celebrated, making the modern pub a perfect spot for this event.

Volpe explained that, as the fighting intensified in the colonies, Benjamin Franklin went to France with the hope of securing military assistance for the Continental Army. King Louis XVI offered the services of  Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, the Count of Rochambeau, for what was called the “Particular Expedition.” Rochambeau, for whom a local strip mall is now named, possessed a military expertise from several French wars that proved pivotal in defeating British forces on behalf of Americans.

“To understand history, you have to touch it sometimes,” Volpe said. To that end, she brought with her a rifle from the era, which would have been carried along with other necessaries of wartime as soldiers marched through the Connecticut countryside in the summer heat. Rochambeau’s forces were on their way from Providence to Yorktown, Virginia, to lend their numbers to one of the Revolution’s crucial campaigns.

The tavern provided a merry scene, according to Volpe, with a cotillion dance for the “prettiest” young ladies of town and soldiers to enjoy. So memorable was the experience that Rochambeau returned on his way home in the fall of 1782 to drink again with Asa Barnes as the country was on the cusp of victory. While Asa Barnes was “too old and portly” to carry a rifle himself, his support for the troops surely helped during their long march down the east coast.

The Asa Barnes Tavern in Marion, a.k.a. the Levi B. Frost House, together with a list of items owned by Barnes that was made after his death.

One theme of modern Connecticut history is the growth of private property and the loss of public spaces. Today, the tavern, known as the Levi B. Frost House, is on the National Register of Historic Places, but lies in private hands.

Also on the site, per Volpe, is a monument of another kind. Irish soldiers fought with Rochambeau and a monument to their sacrifices was erected on French Hill back in 1912, in a ceremony that involved Governor Simeon Baldwin, among other honored guests. The monument was the gift of the American-Irish Historical Society. Traffic and safety concerns mean that visitors to the site today need the owners’ permission.

For those interested in digging deeper into the area’s rich history, more events with historical focus are coming up over the coming months. A Jane’s Walk through historical sights in downtown Southington starts at the Barnes Museum on Saturday, May 2, at 10 a.m. A talk about the life of Hannah Woodruff will be held at the Southington Public Library on May 21, at 6 p.m., also sponsored by the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, named after Woodruff. On June 20, a Revolutionary War walking tour sets out from Oak Hill Cemetery at 10 a.m. More information — including a link at which to order Volpe’s new book — can be found at the Barnes Museum website: https://www.thebarnesmuseum.org/.