Union Tavern

Union Tavern is historically significant on two levels. In terms of architecture, it is considered one of the finest of the few historic taverns still standing in North Carolina. Notable features include a brick exterior laid in Flemish bond, arched entrances with fanlights, and first-story windows topped by flat arches with keystones. More importantly, however, Union Tavern is better known for its association with a cabinetmaker and and furniture craftsman named Thomas Day (ca. 1801-1861), who was one of the more remarkable figures of the 19th century in North Carolina. Not only was Day a highly skilled craftsman, he came from a wealthy family and was a well-educated free Black man of mixed race. Day converted the tavern into his home and workshop. He employed and trained whites, free Blacks, and slaves. Day owned a number of slaves as well. Union Tavern is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a National Historic Landmark.

Thomas Day was born in Dinwiddie County, Virginia around 1801. His father, John, was a skilled cabinetmaker and the son of a white woman, who gave birth to him at a Quaker community. There, John grew up free, received an education, and learned cabinetry (he learned other trades as well but cabinetry was his primary profession). Day's mother, Mourning, was the daughter of a mixed-race plantation owner. When Day was a boy, he and his family moved to a free community in Petersburg, Virginia and they appear to have moved to North Carolina by the time Day turned 18 years old. He also may have opened up a workshop in 1818 but where this might have been is unclear.

Exactly when Day arrived in Warren County is also a little unclear but he and his brother John Jr. may have arrived in Milton in 1820. What is more certain is that they opened the workshop in the tavern around 1823 (John Jr. was also a skilled cabinetmaker but he eventually studied theology and moved to Liberia in Africa, where he became one of the country's founders and signed that country's Declaration of Independence. He also was appointed to the country's Supreme Court in 1854). By 1827, Day had made a name for himself for his fine craftsmanship and was a prominent figure in the community.

In 1830 he married a free Black woman named Aquila Wilson in Virginia. When they tried to return to Milton, she was not allowed to enter North Carolina due to an 1827 law that barred free Blacks from immigrating into the state. Day and sixty white residents successfully petitioned the state legislature to make an exception for her case and she was allowed into the state. Day and Aquila went on to have a daughter and two sons. They worshipped at the Milton Presbyterian Church, whose members were mostly white, and became full members in 1841.

Day achieved great success by 1850. He operated the largest cabinet and furniture workshop in the state by that time and competed with the best craftsman in New York City and Philadelphia. His work, which amounted to 11% of the North Carolina's furniture market, was highly sought after. The governor at the time, Governor David S. Reid, ordered at least 47 pieces of furniture from Day. Additionally, while Day accommodated to whatever style the clients wanted (mostly Greek Revival, Empire, and Italianate styles), he did include curves, cutouts and shapes that were unique to his shop. He also often included three-dimensional motifs and sometimes incorporated African and Afro-American themes.

In 1857, Day's business went bankrupt in the economic crash that year. He was not allowed to collect overdue payments from his white customers and was forced to sell his shop. He and one of his son did reopen it but Day never reclaimed his position as the state's top cabinet and furniture craftsman. He died in 1861 here in Milton.

According to the family's oral tradition, Day rescued his slaves by owning them and treated them like family. Unfortunately, there is no written evidence to support claims regarding Day's relationship to his slaves. Some scholars argue that Day was a secret abolitionist while others say that owning slaves was good for his business. Scholars continue to debate Day's legacy.

Binkovitz, Leah. "The Incredible True Story of Master Craftsman, Freedman Thomas Day." Smithsonian Magazine. April 15, 2013. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/the-incredible-true-story-of-master-craftsman-freedman-thomas-day-22569830.

Greenlee, Marcia M. "Union Tavern." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. May 15, 1975. https://files.nc.gov/ncdcr/nr/CS0011.pdf.

Umfleet, LeRae. "Thomas Day." NCPedia. Accessed July 14, 2021. https://www.ncpedia.org/day-thomas.

Wasser, Fred. "Thomas Day: A Master Craftsman, With Complications." NPR. June 29, 2010. https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128849634.

Wrenn, Tony P. "Day, Thomas." In Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, ed. William S. Powell. University of North Carolina Press, 1979-1996. Retrieved form NCPedia on July 15, 2021. https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/day-thomas.