AUGUSTA — Join us for fun, frivolity and libations at the S&W Howard Store & Tavern on Aug. 23 from 5-8 p.m. This Annual Tavern Night Fundraiser supports Fort Western’s educational programming. Your participation will help Fort Western continue its mission to preserve and interpret this National Historic Landmark.
We look forward to your support and a fun-filled evening. The cost for this ticketed event is $50 per person and $90 per couple. Call 207-626-2385 to register. Registration closes Friday, Aug. 22. Each person will receive one shilling and 12 pence to purchase a drink of their choice and participate in period games of chance, including dice, cards, and board games. Winners of the games will have their names entered into a prize basket drawn at 8 p.m.
Tavern Night is a truly unique experience that celebrates the beginning of settlement and mercantilism in what is now Augusta. Enjoy traditional tavern music, drink and fare. Fare offerings are stew, cheese, bread, fruit and pies of the season.
If fellow guests do not follow the tavern rules, you can pay to place them in the pillory. Those placed in the pillory can pay the fine to be released.
S&W Howard Store & Tavern Tankards are available for purchase. These tankards are hand-made by Sprinkle Pottery in Texas and reflect examples from the Fort Western Archaeological Collection. Sprinkle Pottery has gone out of business, so these tankards are the last of their kind.
The S&W Howard Store, a significant part of Augusta’s history, was in operation from 1767 to 1807. For 40 years, the store sold goods, predominantly through bartering, to the local settlers. Five account books survive, dating between 1767 and 1807. The pages of these ledgers contain a wealth of information about the settlers, the growth of economic activity in the area, and the burgeoning political center of Augusta. The value of products purchased and bartered is listed. Looking through the pages of these books, it is apparent that the store was more than a store. It was the early Hallowell town meeting hall, tavern and bank.
For more information, please visit augustamaine.gov/oldfortwestern, call 207-626-2385, or like Old Fort Western—Augusta, Maine, on Facebook. Fort Western is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to preserve, protect, and interpret the National Historic Landmark, Fort, Store, and House on the Kennebec River in Augusta.
