Taverns and Tavern Culture on the Southern Colonial Frontier: Rowan County, North Carolina, 1753-1776

The tavern culture of Rowan County in North Carolina in the late 18th century epitomizes the progress of consumerism on the southern colonial frontier of America. The administrative developments between 1753 and 1776 made taverns significant for the establishment of civil society. While these public houses served as the centers of public activity and debate, historians fail to reconstruct the culture and composition of taverns. Although the place is distant from the city, a growing number of products and style of living in the taverns indicate a consumerist society.