Tavern Talk and Tour at the Bird & Bottle Inn
Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tavern-talk-and-tour-tickets-317241075597
Experience the Bird & Bottle Inn’s 260+ years of history during this Tavern Talk & Tour.
Join the Putnam History Museum at the newly opened and restored Bird & Bottle Inn, 1123 Old Albany Post Rd, Garrison, NY, on Sunday, May 22nd, from 5 pm – 7 pm. (Rain date, Sunday, June 5th)
PHM Executive Director Cassie Ward will share with guests the history of the Bird & Bottle Inn by exploring historical themes related to the Inn and immediate surrounding area. Historical themes will include the Lenni Lenape use of the land, the American Revolution and the Old Post Road, 19th century transportation advancements, and the early 20th century tourism boom in Putnam County. The program will continue with remarks on the restoration process by Bird & Bottle Inn owners Marjorie Tarter and Brendan McAlpine.
The program and presentations will take place in the Bird & Bottle’s outdoor patio. All guests will be provided with a self-guided tour booklet of the inn’s interior. PHM Board Members and volunteers will also provide more historical information inside of the inn.
Registration and sponsorships are available from $55 to $550. Registration includes the historical program & self-guided tour, hors d’oeuvres, and two tavern bumpers (drinks).
Tavern Talk & Tour Committee Members: Caroline Danford, Mark Forlow, Frank Lucente, Preston Pittman, and Craig Watters.
The PHM is a non-profit organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, interpreting, and presenting the history of Putnam County, Philipstown, and the Hudson Highlands. The PHM receives its funding through donations, membership, grants, Putnam County, Philipstown, and at fundraising events like the Tavern Talk & Tour.
About the speakers:
Marjorie Tarter and Brendan McAlpine, Owners of the Bird & Bottle Inn
Local business leaders in Dutchess County, Tarter and her fiancé Brendan McAlpine restored the old Story Screen Beacon Movie Theater, and Wonderbar cocktail bar in Beacon. McAlpine began his work in building preservation & adaptive reuse when he joined his father Robert McAlpine to build and operate The Roundhouse in Beacon. Tarter, a lifelong Beaconite, history lover and Beacon Historical Society member knew she wanted to preserve the sense of tradition at The Bird as much as possible. Between visiting the space and purchasing it, she dove deep into the inn’s past to learn more about its local legacy. Along the way, she discovered that The Bird & Bottle Inn dates back to 1761 and was originally known as Warren’s Tavern after first serving as a residence and later a stagecoach stop under Samuel Warren. After sitting abandoned in the 1800s, it transformed into the Bird & Bottle Inn that Hudson Valleyites know and love beginning in the 1940s.
Cassie Ward, Putnam History Museum Executive Director
Cassie Ward has served as the Executive Director of the Putnam History Museum since September 2019. Ward has a Master’s of Art in History, with concentrations in American History and Public History, from American University in Washington, D.C. For many years, she worked for the Heritage Education Services Department of the National Park Service and National Register of Historic Places Headquarters. In her time with the NPS, she authored 80 peer-reviewed essays for their programs. Ward has worked for New York state-based historic sites and museums since 2015, curating or co-curating over 20 exhibitions since that time, and hosting countless education and public history programs. Before joining the Putnam History Museum, she was the Executive Director of the New Castle Historical Society and Horace Greeley House Museum located in Chappaqua, New York. Under her leadership, the Putnam History Museum has been awarded several major grants, including grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Historical Association, and Humanities New York. Humanities New York recently recognized the Putnam History Museum as one of the Top 5 organizations in New York for their humanities work during the Covid-19 pandemic.
A special thank you to our supporters!
Current as of 5.17.22
The George Washington Benefactor: Preston Pittman
The Revolutionary Supporters: Caroline Danford
The Patriot Friends: Jennifer Carlquist, Liz Corio, Linda Findley, Mark Forlow, Kyle Henderson, May Hill, Frank Lucente, Craig Muraszeski, and Matt Sherman.