Timothy Day Tavern Site (Asgill Affair)
NJ - Chatham, New Jersey, USA
Relocated Day’s Bridge Summit marker, Main Street at University Avenue / Parrott Mill Road, Chatham, NJ 07928, USA
MARKER
VISITOR INFORMATION
The existing Huddy's Hanging Marker concerns the execution that precipitated the affair, not Asgill's Chatham confinement. Do not replace that valid connection or treat its pin as the tavern. Map point reviewed October 3, 2026: Published coordinates locate the relocated Day’s Bridge Summit marker in Chatham at Main Street and University Avenue. The sign commemorates the 1780 river crossing, not Asgill’s 1782 confinement. It provides a nearby crossing reference; the tavern parcel remains unverified. Visitor information reviewed October 3, 2026: The present roadside marker interprets Washington’s 1780 crossing. It is a nearby reference for the unverified Timothy Day tavern parcel, not proof of Asgill’s confinement venue. Use a safe pedestrian approach; toilets at the marker itself remain unverified; the nearby library option is described below. Parking researched October 3, 2026: Nearby public Post Office Plaza spaces serve a walk to the Main Street/University Avenue interpretation reference. Follow posted limits; exclude 15-minute postal spaces and resident/permit spaces.
Visitor information batch 2 — reviewed October 3, 2026: Nearby public restrooms are documented on the lower level of Library of the Chathams, 214 Main Street, with elevator access. Use them during current library opening and follow posted rules. This is an off-site walking option for the Main Street/University Avenue marker; it does not locate or provide access to Timothy Day’s tavern.
Free exterior historical marker; no separate ticket or staffed hours. View only from authorized public areas and follow any posted property-access rules. Associated buildings, grounds, museums or tours may have separate hours and admission. Use a safe lawful approach; permission to enter the wider historic property is not implied.
Peak visitation season unconfirmed. The exact Timothy Day tavern site and a public visiting location remain unverified.
Verify the former Timothy Day tavern parcel and permitted access before a special trip. If a visitable site is established in the Chatham area, May-June or September-October is a reasonable walking-weather window.
HISTORIC SITES NEARBY
Nearby Historic Sites
miles
Landmark
WHO WAS HERE
0
PEOPLE WHO LIVED HERE
About Timothy Day Tavern Site (Asgill Affair)
Timothy Day’s tavern in Chatham is identified in later research with Charles Asgill’s confinement during the retaliation crisis of 1782. Contemporary evidence confirms his detention in Chatham, but the exact tavern parcel remains unverified. A nearby Day’s Bridge marker recalls a separate Revolutionary crossing episode.
No surviving original tavern or dedicated visitor property has been established. The nearby Day's Bridge Summit marker commemorates a river crossing, not Asgill's confinement. The tavern's location and any surviving fabric require documentary and archaeological research.
History happened here at Timothy Day Tavern Site (Asgill Affair)
After the killing of American officer Joshua Huddy, Washington sought retaliation against a British prisoner. Charles Asgill was selected in 1782 and faced months of uncertainty over whether he would be executed. His detention in Chatham under Elias Dayton is supported by contemporary correspondence and the broader history of the affair.
Asgill’s mother sought help, and French diplomatic intervention contributed to his release. Washington informed him of Congress’s decision in November 1782. Later research associates his confinement with Timothy Day’s tavern, but evidence for Chatham does not independently establish the tavern’s precise parcel. The nearby crossing marker supplies local context without turning the bridge commemoration into a monument to Asgill’s imprisonment.
PEOPLE WHO DIED HERE
PEOPLE AT REST HERE
EXTERNAL LINKS
Research reviewed October 2, 2026. Event IDs e6bae982-8323-4d24-9527-9af81ad07e85; Events Latest 10PM.csv rows 535.
https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/asgill-affair
https://rotunda.upress.virginia.edu/founders/default.xqy?keys=FOEA-print-01-02-02-3600
https://lwmfhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2021-June-Metropolitan-Vol-7-No-3.pdf
Map location reviewed October 3, 2026. Published coordinates locate the relocated Day’s Bridge Summit marker in Chatham at Main Street and University Avenue. The sign commemorates the 1780 river crossing, not Asgill’s 1782 confinement. It provides a nearby crossing reference; the tavern parcel remains unverified.
https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=101397
https://www.chathamnjhistoricalsociety.org/archived-news.html
Visitor classification and amenities reviewed October 3, 2026. Destination: Relocated Day’s Bridge Summit marker in Chatham.
Prose batch 2 researched October 3, 2026. Fast pass; proofing pending. Chatham detention supported; tavern-specific identification and exact parcel need proofing. Nearby bridge marker commemorates different event.
Parking researched October 3, 2026. The borough confirms downtown Post Office Plaza parking is free with a three-hour limit, apart from four short-stay post-office spaces. Nearby public Post Office Plaza spaces serve a walk to the Main Street/University Avenue interpretation reference. Follow posted limits; exclude 15-minute postal spaces and resident/permit spaces.
https://chathamborough.org/resident/parking
Visitor information batch 2 — reviewed October 3, 2026
https://chathamlibrary.librarycalendar.com/reserve-room/room