Bonnet Tavern
Napier Township, Bedford County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
This inn at the junction of the Forbes and Burd Roads was operated, 1779-1815, by Jean Bonnet and his heirs. In mid-1794, during the Whiskey Rebellion, embattled farmers met here and raised a liberty pole to protest the federal excise tax on whiskey. That October, troops called by President Washington camped here on their march west to quell the insurrection.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Standing where the Forbes and Burd Roads met, Bonnet Tavern welcomed travelers on the rough frontier routes west from 1779 under Jean Bonnet and his heirs. In mid-1794 it became a flashpoint of the Whiskey Rebellion, as angry farmers gathered here and raised a liberty pole to defy the new federal excise tax on whiskey. That October, the troops President Washington summoned to put down the uprising camped at the tavern on their march westward.
Why it matters
The tavern witnessed the Whiskey Rebellion, the first major test of the young federal government's authority to enforce its laws and levy taxes on its own citizens.
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Related people
- ¡ Jean Bonnet
- ¡ George Washington
Related events
- ¡ Whiskey Rebellion
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Somerset County
Somerset, PA ¡ est. 1982
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Cambria County
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Formed in 1804 from Huntingdon and Somerset counties, Cambria took a name meaning 'Wales' â a nod to the Welsh settlers who came to these highlands, dating back to Roman Britain's word for the land. The county became a crossroads of early transportation when the Allegheny Portage Railroad hauled canal boats over the mountains toward Johnstown. It was also the birthplace of Arctic explorer Rear Admiral Robert E. Peary.
Hart's Log
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National Road
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