Dobbin House Tavern

Dobbin House Tavern The 1776 Dobbin House, OPEN DAILY, serving food and spirits- all in the candle-lit glow of history! Enjoy homemade breads and desserts from our own bakery.
(9390)

Springhouse Tavern - Lite cuisine for Casual Dining serving daily 11:30 am - 9:00 pm

A most unique eating and drinking alehouse amidst three natural springs and two glowing fireplaces. This cozy and romantic Tavern features homemade food and refreshing spirits. Alexander Dobbin Dining Rooms - Fine dining in the Colonial Manner 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Enjoy an outstanding menu of traditional delicac

ies: Colonial and Continental Cuisine, prepared from the finest and freshest ingredients. Children's menu. Visit our website at www.dobbinhouse.com to see full menus for both menus!

Become a part of Dobbin House history! If you plan to stop by the Dobbin House tomorrow morning to watch Wolfe House Mov...
06/04/2026

Become a part of Dobbin House history! If you plan to stop by the Dobbin House tomorrow morning to watch Wolfe House Movers work on the recently moved house, next to the Dobbin House, be sure to step into our log cabin and sign our "Birthday Book", wishing the 1776 Dobbin House and the 1776 United States of America a special 250th Birthday. No purchase necessary.
Tomorrow, June 5th, 2026, after the massive 50-foot steel beams are pulled out from under the Victorian house, the wood cribbing will be removed, and the 96-ton home will be lowered about 2 feet onto its newly constructed foundation. Contractors have already replaced some of the rotted wood sills, plus added new sills with insulation, securing a long and better future for the 1880's house.
Leave your enduring mark of celebration during this momentous 250th birthday of the oldest house in Gettysburg and the enduring spirit of America. The signed birthday books will be saved with the Dobbin House, to be seen by future generations, maybe on the 300th and beyond birthdays of the house and our nation. If you can't make it tomorrow, stop in anytime during 2026. A book will always be available for you, your children and grandchildren to wish the Dobbin House and the United States a very Happy Birthday.

On Friday, June 5th, Wolfe House Movers will return to the house next to the Dobbin House to remove the steel beams and ...
06/03/2026

On Friday, June 5th, Wolfe House Movers will return to the house next to the Dobbin House to remove the steel beams and lower it onto its newly constructed foundation.
In 2008, the National Park Service hired Wolfe to move another historic house, Alexander Hamilton’s home, from 141st street in Manhattan, around a corner, to a hill in St. Nicholas Park (see pictures). Wolfe was chosen because they could move the 1802 house without cutting it into two pieces. It was sandwiched between an apartment building and a church with a tall porch in front of the house. Wolfe lifted the house vertically 38 feet (4 stories) on wooden cribbing, rolled it over the porch, and then lowered it back down into the street. Massive cribbing and dollies, such as used on our house, provided stable support for the historic structure during the move through the street to a new foundation built in the park.
Alexander Hamilton’s original 32-acre estate is now only a small park, but the 224-year-old restored house (26 years younger than the 1776 Dobbin House!) remains to tell the story of this founding father, the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, whose picture is on our $10 bills to honor his pivotal role in establishing the nation’s financial system.

Wolfe House Movers will return on Friday, June 5th to remove the steel beams under the 96-ton house, next to the Dobbin ...
06/02/2026

Wolfe House Movers will return on Friday, June 5th to remove the steel beams under the 96-ton house, next to the Dobbin House, that was recently moved. The building will then be lowered about 2 feet, onto its newly built foundation.
Founded in 1970, the craftsmen at Wolfe have successfully completed thousands of structural lifts and relocations, from local landmarks to nationally recognized properties across the United States. They company's decades of respect for the past and hands-on expertise have a portfolio of museums, libraries, churches, hotels and historic homes, like our 1890 Victorian house. Wolfe's forward-thinking mission has developed new technologies and now designs and manufactures its own Buckingham hydraulic jacking and moving systems in their warehouse.
Shown here are several significant structures that Wolfe has moved to safeguard the unique story of each building and preserve it for future generations.

Several Dobbin House members of our "family" recently retired and enjoyed a party in their honor to celebrate their serv...
06/01/2026

Several Dobbin House members of our "family" recently retired and enjoyed a party in their honor to celebrate their service to our historic house and tavern.
Barb Townley served 23 years as a clerk in our Country Curiosity Store, helping guests, with her trademark smile, to find the perfect gift to remember their trip to the Dobbin House and Gettysburg.
Patty Shearer spent 20 years pouring thousands of drinks at the bar in our Springhouse Tavern and we think she made just as many good friends who returned often to visit her.
Jo Karchner devoted 14 years to buying and presenting displays of gifts in our Country Curiosity Store while also guiding weekly tours of the historic Dobbin House. We are fortunate that her jovial personality will continue here to give a weekly tour to our visitors who want to see and hear the amazing story of the 250 years of the Dobbin House.
We, and many of our guests, will truly miss seeing these lovely ladies here. We are grateful for their many years of dedication to our guests and wish them comfort and best wishes for gentle days ahead.

People are saying that the Victorian house (next to the Dobbin House) that was moved to make way for a public park looks...
05/31/2026

People are saying that the Victorian house (next to the Dobbin House) that was moved to make way for a public park looks quite similar to the house in Disney's adventure movie "Up"! We love that the new location allows people to get a better view of the house and to realize how beautiful it is!

Even George Washington loved Ice Cream! Martha Washington included a recipe for ice cream custard in her 1749 cookbook. ...
05/30/2026

Even George Washington loved Ice Cream! Martha Washington included a recipe for ice cream custard in her 1749 cookbook. It was a favorite in colonial days just as it is today. We serve the rich and velvety, decadent and extraordinary "Haagen Dazs" ice cream and silky smooth sorbets. Crafted like no other ice cream, this luxurious dessert is perfect on a summer day, whether served standing-out alone or as a topping to a lavish piece of a Dobbin House home-baked apple pie!

Today concrete will be poured to complete the basement walls of the moved house next to the Dobbin House. Read captions ...
05/29/2026

Today concrete will be poured to complete the basement walls of the moved house next to the Dobbin House. Read captions on each picture of the progress being made. With the basement walls poured, Wolfe House Movers is scheduled to return on Friday, June 5th to remove the steel beams and lower the house 2 feet onto the house's new foundation.
This project is a part of our 250th birthday celebrations of the 1776 Dobbin House and the 1776 United States of America. The beautiful new park along Steinwehr Avenue will include some very special “settings” for our guests and visitors to enjoy. More on this in future posts and videos.
Note: Construction is not impacting operations at the Dobbin House. We are open for dining, shopping and lodging as usual. Happy 250th!

Creative comments about the rainwater lake that formed next to the Dobbin House, during our park construction, prompted ...
05/29/2026

Creative comments about the rainwater lake that formed next to the Dobbin House, during our park construction, prompted many a belly laugh at the Dobbin House. Here are some imaginative ideas created by Dave Johnson of Gettysburg Images. Love the naval battle scenario!

On this day, May 28th, 1978, exactly 48 years ago, the Dobbin House opened its doors to the public as an authentic colon...
05/28/2026

On this day, May 28th, 1978, exactly 48 years ago, the Dobbin House opened its doors to the public as an authentic colonial tavern. After a year and a half of careful restoration and the addition of electricity, heating and cooling, bathrooms, and a restaurant kitchen, the 1776 house welcomed guests to come, sit, eat, drink, and make merry.
Since that opening day, millions of guests from across the nation and around the world have now sat within the historic walls of the oldest house in Gettysburg to enjoy fine food and drink. It remains our pleasure to welcome each guest and serve them with the attention to detail in quality and service that they deserve, inviting them to feel the revolutionary spirit of the beginnings of America and the two centuries of unique history in our famous little town. We cherish our American history, and we warmly encourage all to come discover and experience it for themselves.
Photo from our opening in 1978.

🏠DOBBIN HOUSE OWNERS SERIES- #11. 1940-1954As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Dobbin House, we’re excited to ...
05/27/2026

🏠DOBBIN HOUSE OWNERS SERIES- #11. 1940-1954
As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Dobbin House, we’re excited to tell the story of each of its 14 owners. Every month, through summer 2026, we will review the home’s owners and highlight local historic events that have shaped the house during its 250 years.
Owner #11. 1940-1954- John Lippy Jr., owner for 14 years: After the death of owner Kate Hay Nixon and the elderly tenant living in the Dobbin House, the empty house was inherited by Kate’s son, Thomas. Thomas found it difficult to sell the house. It was now 164 years old and with most owners using the house as a rental for the last 100 years, no modern improvements had ever been done to the house. The tenants still used an outhouse for a bathroom, candles for light and fireplaces for heat. To purchase the house as a home, either for an owner or renter, would require considerable construction and expense. After being on the market for 2 years, John Lippy Jr. purchased the house, not for a home but to create a museum.
John was born in Gettysburg and was a popular entertainer and magician. He loved the history of the area, probably instilled by his grandfather, a longtime Gettysburg battlefield guide. In 1940, he bought the Dobbin House, filled it with his collection of Americana antiques, and opened it to the public as a colonial house museum. Despite the following years of World War II and low tourism in Gettysburg, visitors could walk through the Dobbin House with the rooms decorated near to their original purpose of kitchen, parlour, bedrooms and spinning room (see 1941 pictures). After the war, John also opened a museum in the Wills House, where President Lincoln spent the night before delivering the Gettysburg Address. The next installment of this series, highlighting the 12th owner of the Dobbin House, will appear next month.
Note: To learn more about the story of Rev. Dobbin’s 1776 home, the oldest house in Gettysburg, built as the Declaration of Independence was being written and adopted, we invite you to take a guided tour of the house. Tours are presented at 10:00am almost every day this summer and fall. Space is limited- sign up online to reserve your spot on www.eventbrite.com/e/dobbin-house-1776-historic-house-tour-tickets-1978436102641?aff=oddtdtcreator&fbclid=IwY2xjawRNrTFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFyMHpwZ0hvQllTMDFIbTNac3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHp5hiw-5OS2zecCNKDXYov7Smzv-hSpqF98j4tDaPdDV4l0IJLVjcecCMtxc_aem_mbppFKQzyY2gNTvr_U5dFQ. Read more about the tours on www.dobbinhouse.com/tours.htm.

Address

89 Steinwehr Avenue
Gettysburg, PA
17325

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 9pm
Tuesday 10am - 9pm
Wednesday 10am - 9pm
Thursday 10am - 9pm
Friday 10am - 9pm
Saturday 10am - 9pm
Sunday 10am - 9pm

Telephone

+17173342100

Website

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