Cedar Bridge Tavern

On December 27, 1782, while searching for Captain John Bacon, Captain Richard Shreve of the Burlington County Light Horse and Captain Edward Thomas of the Mansfield militia stopped with their men at the original tavern to rest, where Bacon and his Loyalists surprised them and blocked their escape. Although the militia gained the advantage, unexpected fire from local supporters created a diversion that allowed the wounded Bacon to flee, leaving one Patriot killed, four wounded, and four Loyalists wounded in what is believed to be the last documented land engagement of the American Revolution.

Cedar Bridge Tavern County Historic Site preserves the setting of this encounter and offers insight into the development of a small Pinelands community that emerged around a sawmill, key travel routes, and a pair of early taverns serving the surrounding region. The surviving structure retains a rare early nineteenth-century bar and much of its original interior layout and fabric, making it an important source for understanding tavern life, farmsteads, and everyday culture in the New Jersey Pinelands.