Formerly: The Trooper · Farmers and Drovers Hotel
Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania · Founded 1743
A Lafayette Hill bar and restaurant in a building the business says has hosted tavern and inn uses since 1743.
Brittingham's Pub operates at 640 East Germantown Pike in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania. The business traces the site to a 1743 tavern called The Trooper and says it later operated as the Farmers and Drovers Hotel before adopting the Brittingham's name in the 1970s. Those early dates and the claimed uninterrupted hospitality lineage require further independent archival verification.
Brittingham's says a tavern was established at the site, then known as The Trooper.
Source: Brittingham's Pub, "History" page
The Battle of Barren Hill took place in the present-day Lafayette Hill area under the command of the Marquis de Lafayette. No independent source located in this review establishes that the troops billeted at this specific tavern.
Source: George Washington's Mount Vernon, "Battle of Barren Hill"
Brittingham's says the inn was known as the Farmers and Drovers Hotel during the 19th century.
Source: Brittingham's Pub, "History" page
Brittingham's says Frank and Nancy Brittingham established an Irish theme during the 1970s, giving the venue its present name.
Source: Brittingham's Pub, "History" page
The property underwent a major renovation and reopened under new ownership; reporting identified Randy Feinberg and David Eckelmeyer as the people bringing back the landmark.
Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer, "Brittingham's renovation, in photos"; Eater Philadelphia, "Brittingham's Gets a Facelift; Brings In Johnny Mac"
Every claim gets rated. A business's own website can never earn "documented."
Brittingham's current historical narrative makes this claim, but this review did not locate independent deed, licensing, tax, directory, or newspaper evidence confirming the tavern's 1743 start or the name The Trooper.
The Battle of Barren Hill occurred nearby on May 20, 1778, not 1777. The venue describes Washington and Lafayette as rumored visitors and says Lafayette's troops billeted there, but no independent source located in this review documents either event at this specific tavern.
Brittingham's repeats a story of a sealed tunnel and Underground Railroad use. This review did not locate primary abolitionist records, a contemporary account, or an architectural study that confirms the claimed route or its use in freedom-seeking activity.
Brittingham's says the site has been in continuous hospitality use since 1743, but the file's own timeline notes a major renovation and reopening under new ownership in 2013. That documented reopening prevents the continuous-operation claim from being treated as established.
Brittingham's identifies Frank and Nancy Brittingham as the owners who introduced an Irish theme and brought the current name into use in the 1970s. A later local-news account likewise describes the name as having been used since the mid-1970s, though this review did not locate an exact transaction date.
The Battle of Barren Hill occurred in 1777.
The Battle of Barren Hill occurred on May 20, 1778.
Source: George Washington's Mount Vernon, "Battle of Barren Hill"
Brittingham's has used its current name since 1743.
Brittingham's says the present name entered use after Frank and Nancy Brittingham established an Irish theme in the 1970s.
Source: Brittingham's Pub, "History" page
The business has repeatedly been adapted to new hospitality uses: an inn and tavern in its own historical account, then an Irish-themed pub under Frank and Nancy Brittingham in the 1970s, followed by a major renovation and reopening in 2013. Its present operation includes food, drinks, private events, online ordering, and limited weekly hours.
Brittingham's Pub operates at 640 East Germantown Pike in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania, and the business traces the site's tavern history to 1743. Its own history says the site was called The Trooper, later became the Farmers and Drovers Hotel, and took the Brittingham's name after Frank and Nancy Brittingham established an Irish theme in the 1970s. Independent archival evidence for the claimed 1743 founding and uninterrupted business continuity has not yet been established in this review.
The Battle of Barren Hill occurred in the Lafayette Hill area on May 20, 1778, with the Marquis de Lafayette commanding the Continental force. Brittingham's says Lafayette's troops billeted at the tavern and that Washington and Lafayette visited, but this review found no independent documentary source confirming those events at the specific building. The date sometimes given as 1777 is incorrect.
Brittingham's Pub repeats a local story that the property was an Underground Railroad stop and had a tunnel toward nearby sites. No primary abolitionist record, contemporary account, or architectural documentation confirming the route or its use was located in this review, so the claim remains unverified.
Brittingham's Pub is not established by the evidence reviewed as Pennsylvania's oldest bar. The business traces the site to 1743 and describes continuous hospitality use, but independent evidence has not yet verified uninterrupted operation or resolved how its claim compares with other early Pennsylvania taverns.
640 E Germantown Pike, Lafayette Hill, PA 19444
(484) 344-5162
Current posted hours are Wednesday through Sunday; check the venue's website before visiting.