Maxatawny historical property considered a casualty of economy
Published: Saturday, January 28, 2012
In 1740, Daniel Levan moved to Maxatawny from the Netherlands to join his brothers and eventually purchased land he had settled on from his older brother Jacob, of Eagle Point.
By 1765, the home he had built became known as Levan’s Tavern—a place acknowledged in various historical writings as a meeting house for American revolutionaries including the Declaration of Independence’s biggest advocate, John Adams.
This tavern, more currently known as the former Season’s Grille which closed in February 2009, sits unoccupied by what the PNC Bank’s asset manager refers to as legal limbo. Maxatwny Township Manager Justin Yaich said the property is a casualty of the economy.
Family History
When Levan died in 1777, he willed the property to his son Daniel. After the revolution, Daniel sold his inheritance rights to his brother-in-law, Captain George Kemp, second Battalion, fourth Company of the Conrad Weiser Battalion. Kemp and Daniel’s sister Susanna (named for her mother) renamed the tavern to Kemp’s Hotel where it remained in the family up until 1979.
