Site of Jesse Brady's Tavern
(The James Carpenter House)
The current house seems to have been built in the 1830’s on the site of the much older, Jesse Brady house and tavern, where most of the early town meetings were held from 1794 through 1827.
There is no deeds to Jesse Brady at this early stage, but there is other definitive documentation. Two early maps show the Brady family in this spot. One- Robert Erskine’s map # 18, drawn for George Washington shows Thomas Brady here. The Adams map of 1797 shows Jesse Brady here.
The early town minutes refer to the town meetings being held at Jesse Brady’s tavern for many years. Furthermore, J. Thomas Scharf’s “History of Westchester County”, published in 1886- in discussing the subject of town meetings, Volume 2, P. 616, states “His (Jesse Brady’s) tavern was on the property lately owned by Azariah Carpenter”. Then again on P. 617 “James Carpenter spent the last years of his life at the place which was formerly the site of Jesse Brady’s tavern, and till lately owned by his grandson, Azariah Carpenter”. (Scharf was writing in 1886, and Azariah sold in 1884, so the dates agree).
From this point on deeds of sale tell the rest of the story. Deed of sale April 30, 1827 from Jemima Brady to Abraham Hyatt. Liber 30 Page 376. The widow and executrix of Jesse Brady sells 121 acres of land lying both north and south of the road “leading from Bedford to Sing Sing” (being today the part of Quaker Road that runs west toward Millwood). The property is bounded by lands of David Sands, Jesse K. Weeks, and Stephen Carpenter, and includes building and edifices.
April 29, 1835 from Abraham Hyatt to James Carpenter. Liber 63 Page 246. The same same 121 acres as above. However, no buildings are mentioned…………..
Source: The Early Quaker Hamlet of Old Chappaqua, 1972.
Current address: 649 Quaker Road (Route 120) Chappaqua, NY.
p.s. No wonder Jesse bought so much booze in 1818. If you didn't know he owned a tavern you would have thought he was the town drunk!