The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1919-05-13
Historic Mount Holly
THE EARLY INNS AND INNKEEPERs
(Continued)


was one at the time Of making hi
will, May 81, 1881. His inn was OF
Main street, on the lot now occupied
by the stores of Herman Krupnick, g
Earl Assay and Walter Wright. w
do not know when this inn took tn
name OF the Cross KEYS, by which 4
was known in the later years OF 1T
existence. DR.. Read writes of the sign
of two large keys crossed, which
creaked dismally on its hinges in tn,
winter wind" British soldiers were
CHARTERED there during the Revolution
and In deepening the cellar of an ad
joining property few years ago, -
pound cannon ball was found.
Soon after the death of Thomas
Clark, his widow Hannah married
William Buddle. and on November 4,
l745, the tavern property was sold BY
Sheriff Thomas Hunloke to satisfy
Richard Smiths judgment OF f1fty.ons
pounds. seven shillings Bubble pur.
chased the inn at this sale for 22O
pounds. William Bubble was q rich
man for those days. as the inventory
OF his personal estate, fled after his
death in l746, amounted to 1886 pounds
Is shillings.
Mary, daughter Of Hannah Clark
and William Buddlc. married Thomas
Shinn in 1850, and he appears a. the
innkeeper until his death in 1777, after
which the tavern was cond ucted by his
widow and daughters Martha, Ham
nah and Mary. Thomas had one
son, Buddle Shinn, VINO fought In the
Revolution and was a member of the
Society of the Cincinnati. In ITS he
was qusrtermaster in the 23d batts.
lion, 18th establishment. The next
year he WAS a second lieutenant, Capt.
Rosencrants's company, Sd battalion,
I'd establishment. He retired from the
army in 1850 and died ten years later.
Buddle married Sarah, daughter of
John Bispham in 1881. She died in
1887, leaving two daughters-Mary.
who married Matthew McHenry, the
grandfather of the late Miss Eliza Nc
Henry; and Margaret, who died un.
married.
The will Of Mary Shiun the elder"
written in 1905, proved 1907, divides
her property thus; MY lands, houses
and other buildings, situate on the
west side of High street, corner to
Daniel Smith, and from thence up the
said street to the corner between John
Ridgway and myself, shall be divided
into four parts" Lot No. was called
the tavern property" and was willed
to daughter Martha. Lot No. 2 10
now Aliens drug store and WetherilFs
mems store. Lots and 4 extended to
Borton's alley. The will provides "the
household furniture all to be left in the
hands of daughters Martha and Mary.
as long as they continue to keep q
public house where 1 now i've" The
other daughter, Hannah, had married
Frederick Toy in 1854. Another refer.
ence in the will is to Margaret Shinn,
daughter of my deceased son Bubble
Shinn." The executors were "Daugh-
tiers Martha and Mary Shinn and kins-
man VIM. Rossell, OF Mount Holly"
Daughters Martha and Mary" re-
tanned their ownership OF the inn for
a number Of years, but did not con-
duct it themselves. One authority
gives John Selah, a veteran OF the war
Of 1872, as the landlord in 1914. In
1919 Thomas Prickett kept the house.
Hugh Clutch and Samuel Clement
also appear. Abraham Whitcraft or
Flitcraft, whom tradition says ran q
small boat or ''shallop" up and down
the creek, is mentioned as a land
lord there. Daniel Holeman had Il
in 1923, and was followed by his widow
Rachel, who conducted it in 1925.
When sentiment against imprison-
ment for debt became strong, the legis.
lature passed an act authorizing coun-
ties to survey a certain amount Of land
about the prisons, and debtor who
kept within such prison bounds was
considered as confined in
Jail. The map of the Burlington coun-
ty prison bounds, laid out in 1928, is in
the safe at the county clerks office. 1t
Ia wonderful affair, so artfully sur
veyed as to include every tavern in
town, but does not contain over three
acres. The surveyors left one inn out
in the cold, and its keeper petitionsd
the court for redress, which was grant
ed. At the February term OF court,
1925, it was ordered that Samuel
Clark and Joshua Earl, Esqs., be COM
to extend the prison bounds
80 as to include the tavern, yard, sheds
and stables now occupied by Rachel
Holeman, provided the same do not
sxceed quarter Of an acre of ground"
The new survey was made; the COM
presented their report,
which was approved March 6, 1925, and
the Cross Keys tavern became official
ly a part Of the prison.
A deed from Margaret Shinn and
Martha Moore, beloved nieces OF Mar
tina Shinn, to whom Mary Shinn the
elder devised the property" conveyed
the tavern house and lot OF land" to
Robert Sowersby, March "a, 1912.
Sowersby was an Englishman, who
came here in poor circumstances. He
also conducted butchery. and &C.
CURED property by his industry. He
built market house in the rear OF the
tavern, which is still standing. We do
not know when Sowersby died, but his
executors, John Beatty and the widow
Elizabeth, sold the tavern to Jacob
Poole April Is, 1851. Andrew Davis
bought from Poole in 1858.
Adm Sine is said to have been an
other landlord at the Cross Keys. An
drew Davis condu cted confectionery
store there, after making alterations,
and his property was purchased by ].
Howard Shinn, who tore it down, and
built the present Krupnick building.
On the lower part of the lot Mr.. Davis
built property which was occupied
by druggist Aaron S. White. A drive
way between the two buildings led to
the market house in the rear. White
afterwards removed to the brick build
ing below (Woolworth' which he i'm
proved.
The Union bank corner was the site
of another tavern, said to have been
L..- LII al...A 1000 1..L l.