08/18/2026
On view in our special 250 on King exhibition, the "William Pitt, Earl of Chatham" tavern sign, painted by Lancaster artist Jacob Eichholtz, dates back to the early 1800s.
Built between 1750-60, the Demuth Museum of Art on King is part of the largest block of buildings from that era still standing in Lancaster City. The building's first resident was John Messencope, Sr., a blacksmith and tavernkeeper who was the first operator of the William Pitt, Earl of Chatham tavern. In 1808, the tavern was operated by Henry Deffinbaugh, who commissioned this sign by Eichholtz.
The tavern was purchased by Jacob Demuth in the late 1830s to expand the family residence for his 20 children, and the property stayed in the Demuth family until the death of Augusta Demuth, Charles Demuth's mother, in 1943.
Stop by to view the sign and the rest of the exhibition, on view through September 27 at the Demuth Museum of Art on King!
Image: William Pitt, Earl of Chatham Tavern Sign, collection of the Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum
