The Fascinating Story Behind The Oldest Operating Restaurant In The US

If being the oldest operating restaurant in the U.S. is only the second most interesting thing about a place, you know you've got some great history on your hands. Among the oldest restaurants in America, many have surprising facts associated with them. For most, it is the clientele that were famous, including founding fathers like George Washington, and other tavern-going heroes of the Revolutionary War. But the oldest operating tavern restaurant in the country, located in Newport, Rhode Island, wasn't just a watering hole with a few well-known fans. It was also a courthouse, a city council chambers, and even the business of an infamous pirate who probably inspired stories about a fictional Madagascan pirate country. Yes you read that right.

The name of the restaurant is the White Horse Tavern, and it has been in operation since 1673. The building the White Horse is in is even older than that, having been constructed as a private residence in 1653. It was later purchased by a man named William Mayes, Sr. and turned into a tavern. In addition to being a pub, the lack of public buildings in the young colonies meant that it also hosted Rhode Island's General Assembly until the 1730s. And it was during that time that ownership passed to William Mayes Jr., a notorious local pirate.

William Mayes Jr. inherited the tavern from his father in 1702, and by then he had already led an amazingly adventurous life. After traveling to Europe and fighting the Nine Years War, he joined the crew of the brutal pirate William Kidd. After Kidd's crew mutinied, Mayes was elected captain. Over the next ten years he sailed as a pirate buccaneer attacking trading ships along West Africa and in the Indian Ocean. Mayes returned to Rhode Island a wealthy man from his plunder, and took over the tavern from his father.

While those stories all appear to be true, Mayes Jr.'s legacy also veers into the legendary. He went by several pseudonyms as a pirate, including May, Mason, or Masson, and he is believed to be the inspiration for the almost certainly fictional Captain James Mission in the 1726 book "General History of the Pyrates." The book claims Mission was from Provence in France, and Mayes' family were indeed French refugees who had fled to Rhode Island. The book tells the story of the founding of Libertatia, a utopian republic where people of all races and religions were equal. Libertatia was supposedly on the coast of Madagascar, which Mayes visited several times. Despite some of the book being real history, the story of Libertatia has never been confirmed, and most scholars consider it mere legend. But it's a legend intimately tied to the White Horse Tavern.

While Newport and Rhode embraced William Mayes, the British authorities weren't as thrilled with his presence in the colony, so after taking over the tavern in 1702 he quickly passed ownership to his sister Mary. She was married to a man named Robert Nichols, and the tavern stayed in his family for the next 200 years. They were also the ones who gave the restaurant its current name of White Horse in 1730. The tavern was used to quarter British mercenaries during the Revolutionary War, and the building survived and was expanded after independence. After a period of decline in the 20th century it was bought by the Preservation Society of Newport County and restored.

The White Horse isn't just a tourist attraction, it's considered to be a top restaurant in Newport. The menu at the nation's oldest restaurant is a little fancier than your standard pub fare, serving beef Wellington, confit duck legs, and local seafood like pan seared scallops. Its wine list has even won an award from Wine Spectator. Most of the original building is intact, including the flooring which is said to be made from the wood of 17th-century colonial ships. If you want to experience this amazing slice of American history, just make sure you plan ahead, as reservations are full weeks in advance. But few meals you eat in this country will come with a better story.