Tun Tavern
In November, 1775, the Second Continental Congress commissioned a young Philadelphian, Samuel Nicholas, to serve as the first Commandant of the United States Marines Corps (then called the Continental Marine Corps - the United States did not yet exist as a nation). A tribute to the founding of the Marines honors the event in nearby New Hall Military Museum.
Nicholas set about enlisting marines in the newly established military organization. His base of operations for this recruitment drive was Tun Tavern, a popular local watering hole built by Joshua Carpenter in the late 17th Century.
Tun Tavern burned down in 1781, near the end of the Revolutionary War. Its original site is now occupied by Interstate 95, but a memorial plaque close to the original site commemorates this important piece of American history.
The 250th Anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Marine Corps was November 10, 2025. The Tun Legacy Foundation had planned to rebuild the original Tun tavern close to the original site for the historic occasion, but has not yet reached its funding goal.
Click here to help support rebuilding Tun Tavern!!!Society Hill
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