Welcome to Dills Tavern.com

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History of Dills Tavern

Dills Tavern is a twelve room, store structure, erected from 1794 to 1819. The Dill family maintained a tavern in the Dillsburg, Pennsylvania area beginning in the 1750's. Matthew Dill was a friend of George Croghan, the famous Indian negotiator, and members of the Dill Family fought in the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War, and the War of 1812. The tavern was one of several business ventures carried on at this site. A large farm, a mill and a productive distillery kept family members, indentured servants, hired hands and some slaves busy. Regular shipments of whiskey produced in the distillery were sent to Baltimore. The Eichelberger family purchased the plantation in 1800 and kept the tavern open until the 1830's. In time, the structure became a store and eventually a residence.

An Interactive Museum

The Northern York County Historical and Preservation Society hired Sam McKinney, Traditional Builder, to restore the building in January 2005. The tavern is now open for business as an interactive museum. This means that visitors can use the building and its period contents to experience tavern life in the early 19th Century. Sit in the chairs, lay in the rope beds, watch someone cook in a fireplace or try hearth cooking yourself. Explore all twelve rooms and handle the items contained in those rooms. Groups can rent the tavern and its two acres of lawn, for meetings, lunches, dinners, sleep overs, weddings or other appropriate functions. Open-hearth dinners for 25 - 30 people are now a regular occurrence. In keeping with early building amenities, the tavern is heated with fireplaces and 10 plate wood stoves. Light is supplied from both candles and fireplaces. There are modern bathrooms and a summer kitchen located behind the main building in a new structure.