History Of The Falls Tavern

Once located at Ridge Avenue and Indian Queen Lane, the tavern was founded in 1731 and remained a part of the East Falls community until its closure in 1972. The tavern stood two and one half stories high with heavy white washed plaster outside the building and a very steep pitched roof. The front of the building had a two story porch and the upper portion of the porch had a fancy black iron balustrade. The back of the building faced the Schuylkill River where people sat on its porches. When you entered the tavern's central double doors with its long panels of glass you entered a room with a deep red carpet and a colonial staircase. The bar room was darkly paneled and had a huge fireplace. In the tavern's early days, people from all around came to the tavern for its famous catfish and waffle dinners. The catfish once came directly from the Schuylkill. In the tavern's later days, the catfish was born and raised in catfish farms. Today, a post office stands in its place.