Golden Plough Tavern

Built in 1741, this tavern served as a source of news and information for travelers and locals throughout the colonial era. Adjacent to the General Horatio Gates House where the American general stayed during the winter of 1777-1778, it is part of York's Colonial Complex.

The Golden Plough Tavern was built by Martin Eichelberger in 1741, making it the oldest existing structure in the city of York. This two-story, Germanic-influenced medieval style building sits on Market Street, which was originally the Monocracy Trail - first a Native American path, then a trade route leading to Western Maryland. As a public meeting place, the tavern served as a source of news and information for travelers and locals alike, showcasing daily colonial life.

The tavern's most significant era came during the Revolutionary War when York served as the Capital of the Nation for nine months in 1777-1778 after the British captured Philadelphia. The Continental Congress moved west, spent one day in Lancaster, then crossed the Susquehanna River to settle in York. General Horatio Gates, hero of the decisive Battle of Saratoga, was brought to York and lodged in the house adjoining the tavern, with his meals cooked in the Golden Plough's kitchen. It was here that the Marquis de Lafayette famously toasted Washington to embarrass those who had lost faith in Washington's leadership and were plotting to replace him with Gates.

The Golden Plough Tavern is featured on the York Pennsylvania Ghost Tour, where visitors explore eerie landmarks and hear supernatural tales that have given many the chills. Today the tavern is operated as a museum by the York County History Center as part of their Colonial Complex, commemorating York's time as the nation's capital and the spirits of history that may still linger within its ancient walls.