Grand Master’s Legacy Challenge: The Tun®

Five years ago, I was connected with a U.S. Marine named Patrick Dailey from Churchville, PA. Pat had a dream to recreate The Tun® in a cooperative effort among several organizations that trace their foundation to that famous building and are still in existence today. In chronological order of their establishment, those organizations are: The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania (1731), The St. Andrew’s Society of Philadelphia (1747), The Friendly Sons & Daughters of St. Patrick (1771), The Society of St. George (1772), the U.S. Marine Corps (1775) and at least in part, the U.S. Navy (1775).

The Tun Legacy Foundation, Inc. (“TTLF”), a registered 501(c)(3) public charity, was created to facilitate the fundraising and development of the newly recreated Tun. TTLF has an all-volunteer board and an advisory committee of proud patriots and charitable-minded people. By its charter, the proceeds from the operation of The Tun® will be used to support the charitable causes of the founding organizations.

The Vision:

Imagine a tavern where the profits from every drink poured, every meal served and every keepsake purchased were donated to help a wounded veteran, fund a scholarship, fund care for a hospitalized child or help educate the surviving child of a veteran who gave their life in service to our country.

Imagine a place that, through the experience of its service, food and ambiance, taught you fascinating American history that you never learned about in school and made it fun, interesting and informative for your entire family.

Imagine a place that honored and celebrated ordinary Americans who demonstrate the extraordinary quality of “service above self” by their actions.

Imagine being a prospect for the U.S. Marines and being able to enlist at The Tun®!

Imagine attending a Table Lodge at The Tun® …

The Tun was opened as a brewery and restaurant in 1686. Having been built in the 1680s, it was among the very early pubs and eating establishments on what was then the waterfront and warehousing district of a very young city. Although there were many other eating and drinking establishments, the Tun stands out as a place where a who’s who of colonial leaders enjoyed meeting for food, drink, conversation and debate. At 30’ wide, 50’ long and 2½ stories tall, it was probably bigger than most other pubs. There are historical accounts mentioning the high quality of the food and beer served at the Tun, which may have also had something to do with its popularity as a meeting place for any sizable group of men at that time.

Numerous documented events and meetings of our Founding Fathers took place at the Tun before and during the Revolution. At the time the Second Continental Congress was meeting at the Pennsylvania State House, now Independence Hall, many of our forefathers, including Patrick Henry, George Washington, John Adams, Samuel Adams, John Dickinson, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Hancock and John Jay were known to frequent the Tun. You can imagine that after a hard day of arguments ranging from reconciliation with the British to advocating for independence, those arguments continued with renewed vigor over food and drink.

I am very proud to say that when the Second Continental Congress, led by President and Masonic Brother John Hancock, decided they needed to form the Continental Marines, he looked to two of his Masonic brothers to make it happen. They were Brother Robert Mullan, the proprietor of the Tun, and Brother Samuel Nicholas, who is widely recognized as the First Commandant of the Marine Corps.

In 1781, the tavern was in disrepair, and it was torn down to make room for another structure that was built in its place. Although the building was lost, the legacy of the Tun was forever engraved into the history of Philadelphia and the founding of the United States.

In the last two years, we have made gigantic progress toward our goal of rebuilding The Tun®. TTLF purchased the property at 19-25 S. 2nd Street, about 250 yards from the original site of the Tun. The architectural design is complete, zoning approval and building permits have been received and contractors are lining up to make this project happen. The project will cost more than $20 million to complete. To date, more than $9 million has been raised, including several $1 million donations, a $3 million grant from the state of Pennsylvania and contributions from several thousand individuals and corporations who want to be a part of this great project.