Named for the Old English word "tun", meaning a barrel or keg of beer, Tun Tavern was erected in 1686 at the intersection of King (later called Water) Street and Tun Alley by settler Joshua Carpenter. It which was a founding or early meeting place for a number of notable groups. It is traditionally regarded as the site where what became the United States Marine Corps held its first recruitment drive during the American Revolution, and is also regarded as one of the "birthplaces of Masonic teachings in America".
