Captain Samuel Haight (list rank) was well known to General George Washington. He operated a tavern in what is now the Somers Hamlet National Register District. His tavern, called Plenbrook, is mentioned four times by Washington in his official papers.
In 1778, General Washington issued a written order to General (Lord) Stirling directing his line of march past “Lt. Hait’s” tavern.
In 1781 and 1782, to facilitate more efficient reporting of secure messages between General Washington and his field commanders, Washington twice ordered that a chain of “express riders” be established between his headquarters and Danbury, Connecticut. Haight’s Tavern was one of the locations used by these riders.
On September 18, 1780, General Washington and his staff “breakfasted” at Haight’s Tavern. A handwritten receipt signed by “Sam Haight” is held in the National Archives and is referenced in Washington’s writings.
Just five days later, three militiamen from Westchester County were credited with capturing the British spy Major John André near what is now Tarrytown, New York. Two of these men, John Paulding and Isaac Van Wart, served in Captain Samuel Haight’s Third Regiment (Land Bounty Rights). Paulding and Van Wart lived across the Croton River from Haight’s Tavern in Salem, New York.
Information provided by Somers Historical Society
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