{"id":10945,"date":"2026-08-05T01:27:26","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T01:27:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/books-we-read\/?p=10945"},"modified":"2026-08-05T12:15:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T12:15:08","slug":"becky-diamond-city-tavern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/books-we-read\/becky-diamond-city-tavern\/","title":{"rendered":"Treasures in Archives: An Interview with Becky Diamond about “City Tavern”"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Cover<\/a>Those of us who follow Becky Diamond on her informative and well designed social media pages (Instagram, Facebook-<\/span>add links<\/span>), already know that she has been up to something exciting again. Our colleague and Books We Read blogger, Becky is a business librarian at Rutgers as well as an accomplished author, who published several books related to history and food history, including Mrs. Goodfellow: The Story of America\u2019s First Cooking School<\/a><\/em>, The Thousand Dollar Dinner<\/em><\/a>,<\/span>\u202f<\/span>The Gilded Age Cookbook<\/span>\u202f<\/span><\/em><\/a><\/span>and<\/span>\u202f<\/span><\/span>The Gilded Age Christmas<\/span>\u202f<\/span>Cookbook<\/span><\/span>\u202f.<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/em>\u202f<\/span>\u202f<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a great honor to interview her on the occasion of publishing a new book entitled <\/span>City Tavern: The Founding Table<\/span>. With her national reputation, she will<\/span>\u202f<\/span>likely have<\/span>\u202f<\/span>many more<\/span>\u202f<\/span><\/span>events,<\/span>\u202f<\/span>interviews<\/span>\u202f<\/span>and broadcast appearances<\/span><\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/span>As we are both passionate about researching and writing about history, today I will ask her as a fellow Books We Read blogger from the perspective of the addiction librarian.<\/span><\/p>\n

BWR: First, give us the short version of what we should know about your new book besides the excellent AI-generated summary.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Becky<\/a>BLD: City Tavern was a hub of life in colonial Philadelphia and its dining \u202ftable\u202fan important political and social meeting place. From America\u2019s early years, taverns were vital in urban spaces for sharing news, making business deals, holding club meetings, and discussing political issues. When the Continental Congress\u202fconvened\u202fin Philadelphia, City Tavern was\u202fdesignated\u202fas a neutral spot for delegates to make connections,\u202fsolicit\u202fopinions, and offer off-the-record thoughts and solutions\u2015all over a pint of ale or glass of Madeira. This\u202fimportant role\u202fcontinued throughout the Revolution and beyond. Many of the founding fathers dined there, and George Washington even used it briefly as his headquarters.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>The\u202ftavern also\u202fbecame a social center for music, dancing, and festive dinners.\u202f\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

City Tavern:\u202fThe Founding Table\u202f<\/span><\/i>views this crucial time in America\u2019s history through the tavern\u2019s lens. Here the reader can follow history as it unfolds from the unique perspective of the dining table, from the decision to break from England and the prosecution of the war to Constitutional debate and the grand banquet Washington enjoyed at City Tavern in 1789 as he\u202fpassed through Philadelphia on the way to his presidential inauguration in New York City. Throughout, the business of an eighteenth-century tavern is described in detail along with the food and drink enjoyed by customers at the crossroads of the American Revolution.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

BWR: The reader can see the obvious similarities, such as geographical region and food history,\u202fwith your\u202fprevious\u202fbooks just from the short blurbs already available on the\u202f<\/span><\/b>publisher\u2019s site<\/span><\/b><\/a>. Can you tell us a bit more about how this new book fits into your\u202fwritings\u202fand research?\u202f<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\"Signpost<\/a><\/span><\/b>BLD: Sure! This book is a non-fiction narrative focusing on culinary\u202fand geographic\u202fhistory, similar to my first two books. Like those two books, it also takes place in\u202fPhiladelphia, so it was really fun to go back to this very historical and important city. One difference was that it takes place mostly in the eighteenth century,\u202fwhereas\u202fmy other books have a nineteenth-century focus. This meant delving into this era and looking through the lens of this specific location to see its impact throughout the pre-Revolution, the\u202fRevolution\u202fand the founding of our nation. The City Tavern was integral to all of that.\u202fSo,\u202fthe research and writing for this book really expanded my knowledge of culinary history, as well as American and Philadelphia history.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

BWR: In\u202four\u202f<\/span><\/b>previous conversations<\/span><\/b><\/a>\u202fwith you, we\u202fwere talking about how your work as a librarian\u202fat a large university supported your research and writing. Given the different topic,\u202fwhat\u202fwas\u202fdifferent\u202fabout this book? Did you have any specific hurdles,\u202for did you have to change course during the writing process?<\/span><\/b>\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Old<\/a>BLD: I was able to gather the bulk of the research at the\u202f<\/span>Independence National Historic Park Library and Archives<\/span><\/a> in Philadelphia. The original City Tavern was torn down in 1854,\u202fbut in the 1950s, <\/span>the National Park Service\u202fdecided to reconstruct the building. Using\u202fperiod images, personal accounts, newspaper articles, insurance surveys, and other documents, they were able\u202fto authentically reconstruct the building in time for America\u2019s bicentennial in 1976.\u202fAll of\u202fthese reports and historic surveys\u202fare\u202fin the library archives (and some are online too).\u202fSo,\u202fI made two trips to the\u202f<\/span>Independence National Historical Park<\/span>\u202fto do\u202fresearch in person (something I had not done since my second book, as I was able to get all the information I needed for my two\u202fGilded\u202fAge cookbooks via online sources).\u202fIn addition, I was able to access many books and historic newspaper articles via\u202fRutgers\u2019 databases and collections, my local\u202flibrary,\u202fnewspapers.com, and the Free Library of Philadelphia.\u202f\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

BWR: As an alcohol studies librarian, I am most interested in the “tavern” part. Literature on\u202fthe history of alcohol shows that American taverns served as vital community centers, courtrooms, and social hubs alongside their role\u202fas alcohol vendors. Despite their different names, timelines, and continents, the American tavern also shares elements with the Italian bar, Greek taverna, and British pub, as a democratic, community place, simultaneously influenced by and influencing the local community. What was the most surprising fact you discovered from this perspective?<\/span><\/b>\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

BLD: I think the most surprising thing was just how integral taverns were to business and political discourse at this time. It is perhaps difficult for us to imagine today since we are constantly bombarded with news and information, but word traveled much slower then. So, taverns were the closest thing to today\u2019s internet and social media platforms, functioning as hubs for sharing news and other information, making business deals, buying and selling ship’s cargo, organizing new companies, and posting notices. On a social level, they have ties to the modern restaurant, hotel and bar, hosting entertainment such as dances and live music and functioning as important gathering spaces for fraternal organizations and political discussions. As unofficial forums where colonists could discuss issues and select leaders to unite neighboring communities, they were particularly important to the nation\u2019s drive for independence.<\/span><\/p>\n

BWR: Alcohol was a major dietary staple in the 18th century for\u202fvarious reasons, such the distrust of water supplies, medical misconceptions, costs, and ease of access. In 1790, United States government figures recorded that the average drinking-age American\u202f<\/span><\/b>consumed roughly 5.8 gallons of pure alcohol annually<\/span><\/b><\/a>. Considered as essential food, alcohol was consumed by\u202falmost everyone, including children, who drank low alcohol content beer or diluted cider, and laborers, who\u202fcarbo-loaded\u202fwith liquid calories. What background do you think you offer the reader in your book to digest (pun intended) this fact?\u202f<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u202f\"Wine<\/a>BLD: Yes, alcohol was consumed in greater numbers back then (for all those reasons you mention), but it is also important to note that there were still rules and regulations. For example, \u201cPublic houses\u201d (also known as tap rooms or dram shops) served alcoholic beverages, traditionally by the dram (small units of just one-eighth an ounce).\u202fAccording to Philadelphia law at the time, all establishments with licenses to sell wine, spirits, beer, and cider \u201cby small measure\u201d were required to display a license number indicating what could be served there. Some were limited to beer and cider; others could sell spirits, beer, and cider; others wine, spirits, beer, and cider. In the 1790s, City Tavern had inn license No. 2 and was therefore entitled to sell wine and spirits. And restrictive laws of operation included prohibiting tavern keepers from serving Blacks, apprentices, American Indians, servants, and sailors without the permission of their masters or ships\u2019 captains. In addition, women were generally excluded from tavern life except for special occasions such as balls and private parties.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

BWR: John Adams famously praised City Tavern, but he was also known to start his mornings with hard cider. What did the day-to-day drinking schedule look like for a delegate at the tavern, from morning meetings to late-night debates?\u202f<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

BLD: The types of beverages that were served at the City Tavern included beer, ale, porter, and cider as well as wine, punch, rum, and other spirits. Coffee was also offered throughout the day and evening. Receipts and personal accounts exist from some of the larger banquet dinners, indicating copious amounts were consumed at these events. For example, on Friday, September 14, 1787, Washington wrote in his diary that he attended the Convention during the day and then went to the City Tavern that evening, to dine \u201cat an entertainment given on my acct. by the City light horse.\u201d Alongside the meal, the men drank fifty-four bottles of Madeira and sixty of claret; as well as fifty bottles of assorted \u201cOld Stock,\u201d porter, beer, cider, and seven large bowls of potent punch. The bill also noted dinners for sixteen musicians and servants, which included sixteen bottles of claret, five of Madeira, and seven bowls of punch for their portion.\u202fNot too surprising since the average annual consumption of distilled spirits was 3.7 gallons per person at the time, rising to 5 gallons at the turn of the nineteenth century, about three times today\u2019s level.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

BWR: In your research, did you find any surprising culinary adaptations where colonists had to alter traditional European recipes because of native ingredients available in Pennsylvania?\u202f<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

BLD: Yes, absolutely. One of the main adaptations was substituting cornmeal for wheat flour, as corn was a New World food and much more available. So, there were many recipes for things like pound cake and pudding that use corn meal or corn flour. There were also adaptations of both sweet and savory recipes incorporating fruits and vegetables that were indigenous to the region, such as cranberries, blueberries and various squashes. Pennsylvania game such as venison and wild turkey was also adapted to European recipes, as were recipes for the different fish that were available in the region such as shad and salmon.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

BWR: Rum punch was\u202ffrequently\u202fserved in massive, communal bowls that delegates shared. How did this style of communal drinking shape the social dynamics and foster a sense of brotherhood among men from completely different states?\u202f<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

BLD: Great question! \u202fThis didn\u2019t really come up in my research, but yes, I can imagine that this type of communal drinking helped foster a sense of fraternity among the delegates. What DID show up in my research was the fact that the City Tavern was a site of various organizational meetings. They would absolutely have shared food and drink during their gatherings. This included groups such as the Society of The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick for the Relief of Emigrants from Ireland, an American charitable and social organization for Irish Americans founded in 1771.\u202fAlso, the State Society of the Cincinnati of Pennsylvania (America\u2019s oldest patriotic organization) which was founded on October 4, 1783 by officers of the Continental Army and their French counterparts who served together in the American Revolution.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

BWR: A quote from the book mentioning Inn license Number 2,\u202fassigned to the Tavern,\u202fwas\u202fprobably burnt\u202fin the fire of 1834, along with any related artifacts. This highlights our work as librarians, archivists, researchers, and authors, who\u202flocate, preserve, and share primary sources, such as letters, personal diaries, and ledgers.\u202fBoth non-fiction books\u202flike yours\u202fand historical fiction, such as\u202f<\/span><\/b>The City Tavern papers: Philadelphia and the conversations that forged a nation,\u202f<\/span><\/i><\/b>benefit tremendously.<\/span><\/b>\u202f<\/span><\/i><\/b>You shared an impressive list of your\u202fresearch notes in the appendix. What are some of your favorite archival items related to the book?\u202f<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>BLD: That would be the many historic reports and surveys that I was able to access at the\u202f<\/span>Independence National Historic Park Library and Archives.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0 <\/span>And as I mentioned earlier, some were online too, which was very helpful. These included<\/span> City Tavern\u2014Historic Structure Report: Architectural Data Section<\/span><\/i> (February 1973) by Penelope Hartshorne Batcheler, \u201cCity Tavern: A Short History,\u201d by Dominik K. Magyar, <\/span>City Tavern\u2014Historic Structure Report <\/span><\/i>by Miriam Quinn Blimm and <\/span>The City Tavern: Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania<\/span><\/i> by John David Ronalds Platt. It was also great fun and very helpful having the ability to access historic newspapers from the time such as the <\/span>Pennsylvania Gazette<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>Philadelphia Inquirer<\/span><\/i> via various Rutgers databases and newspapers.com.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

BWR: Previously, we also talked about the\u202f<\/span><\/b>wonderful photography in your books<\/span><\/b><\/a>. Having spent almost two decades with one of the most\u202f<\/span><\/b>reputable archival collections in alcohol history<\/span><\/b><\/a>,\u202fI believe this book\u202fposed quite a challenge\u202fin\u202flocating\u202fthe perfect resources. How did you manage to select the illustrations in the new book?\u202f\u202f<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u202fBLD: Well, luckily many historic images of not only the City Tavern, but also the people and places mentioned in the book were in the public domain, so I was able to obtain access to those pretty easily. The National Park Service also had some available for public use on their website. In addition, former Chef Walter Staib and his <\/span>Taste of History<\/span><\/i> producer, Phil <\/span>Gajari also shared several images with me that I have been able to use in both the book and my social media posts. Then the publisher Bruce Franklin of Westholme Publishing<\/a> also was able to locate several images that enhanced the text.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

BWR: Every new book is a new journey for the author, even though one can rely on experience with research and writing. What were the most\u202fdifficult times\u202ffor you\u202fresearching\u202fand\u202fwriting\u202fthis book? How was it different from your\u202fprevious\u202fbooks?\u202f<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\"Woman<\/a><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

BLD: Yes, absolutely! Well, this book was mainly different in that I had to go back to an earlier timeframe than I had previously. I had done a bit of research on this era in the past, but it had been a while. So, there was a bit of a learning curve in getting up to speed regarding colonial history and the 18<\/span>th<\/span> century. In addition, I was in somewhat of a time crunch as we really wanted to publish the book this year to align with America\u2019s 250th anniversary.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

BWR: Finally, we both know that an author never rests.\u202fWhat\u2019s\u202fnext?\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

BLD: My next project is a cookbook focused on Edith Wharton\u2019s recipe collection. I am working on this with Gwenyth Todd, a descendent of <\/span>Wharton\u2019s close friends Royall and Elisina Tyler and the person who brought this project to me.<\/span> These are recipes from Wharton\u2019s personal collection \u2013 some handwritten, some typed and some clipped from newspapers. All of them were significant to Wharton and her life in some way. H<\/span>ighlighting social practice, identity, and location, the chapters within will illustrate just how vividly these recipes helped shape her palate and writing.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

BWR: Thank you! Wishing you all the best for your next book.\u202f\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

BLD: Thank you so much!! I appreciate the interest and support!!!<\/p>\n

\u202fFor additional reading on the subject:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n