Restoration Effort

Restoration Effort

*View from Second Street*
*The oldest building in Easton, is the 1753 Jacob Bachmann Publick House located on the northeast corner of 2nd and Northampton Streets.*
*View up steps on Second Street*
This tavern served as a gathering place for court sessions before a courthouse was built in Centre Square. It also has had a long history of efforts to preserve and restore it through the initial Easton House Tavern Association which merged with the present Easton Heritage Alliance.

*View from Northampton St.*

The Tavern is unique in that it retains an astonishing 70% of its original building materials. This feature may make the structure the most authentic pre-Revolutionary War Tavern remaining in the United States.

*Sadie Stauffer's Generous Donation*
Sadie Stauffer of Nazareth, an avid lover of Easton's cultural past, has given Easton Heritage Alliance a gift of $500,000 for the restoration of the city's oldest surviving structure. Mrs. Stauffer's love of history is the catalyst for the restoration of the 1753 Bachmann Tavern to be completed much earlier than anticipated. Mrs. Stauffer is a former board member of the former Easton House Tavern Association. Her gift will ensure the Tavern's restoration for generations to enjoy and learn from the past.

*Restoration Funds Associated with Two Rivers Landing*
A Pennsylvania State Initiative Grant, in the amount of $170,000 came to Easton Heritage Alliance via Two Rivers Landing Project (TRL). Easton Heritage Alliance gave support to the TRL project by relinquishing monies originally targeted for the Jacob Bachmann Tavern restoration. It also relinquished its projected use of the Tavern as Easton's Visitor's Center for Historic Resources. In return for these concessions, the Easton Heritage Alliance Board requested monies for Tavern restoration. These funds were utilized for the restoration work recently performed. This work significantly changed the exterior appearance of the buildings, (no more plywood in the doors and windows!), upgraded the internal structure of the east half of the project, improved the appearance of the 1827 elevation toward the anticipated courtyard next door, and made it very easy to complete renovations on the ground floor (east side) for occupancy.