It's an underground bar! Archeologists discover beer mugs on a construction site in New York's Chinatown where a popular German beer hall once stood during the Civil War

The found bar paraphernalia was once part of Atlantic Garden, a beer hall which opened in 1860 and from Bull's Head Tavern from the 1700s

George Washington supposedly stopped at The Bulls Head Tavern with his troops in 1783

The hotel on 50 Bowery, the current construction site, will incorporate some of the old bar artifacts into its new design



New York's underground bar scene takes on a whole new meaning as archeologists unearth history from two beer taverns, one dating back to the 1700s in New York's historic area of Chinatown.



DNAinfo reports that hundreds of 19th-century artifacts like plates, mugs, and liquor bottles were found beneath a construction site at the site for a new modern hotel at 50 Bowery.



The found bar paraphernalia was once part of Atlantic Garden, a beer hall which opened in 1860. Workers from Chrysalis Archeology say that they may have found even older artifacts from a Colonial-era watering-hole in the same spot called Bull's Head Tavern, where George Washington and his troops were said to have stopped in 1783.



Beneath a construction site for a glassy, 22-story hotel at 50 Bowery, archaeologists have unearthed a centuries-old history of drinking, eating and lodging dating all the way back to George Washington

Beneath a construction site for a glassy, 22-story hotel at 50 Bowery, archaeologists have unearthed a centuries-old history of drinking, eating and lodging

'The Atlantic Garden was actually a tourist destination in its day — it was known for its German food and beer, and as a place for music and parties,' said Alyssa Loorya, president of Chrysalis.



'It was built over the Bull’s Head Tavern, a place where travelers, many selling their cattle, stopped in for food, drink, to socialize or spend the night.'



One of the items found at the construction site was a beer jug labeled Bürgerspital Wurzburg from what's one of the oldest and largest German vineyards.



Archeologists also found small medicinal bottles that contained elixirs that promoted longer life and health.

Workers discovered mugs used for both drinking and pouring.



Last year, when an non landmarked 19th century building was still standing in the historic Bowery neighborhood, the building's demolition caused uproar among those who feared losing the site's history.

Archeologists found mugs for drinking and pouring beer that date all the way back from the 19th century

'The Bowery was once the only road in and out of Manhattan, so it makes sense that these places popped up along such a major route and now you continue to see similar types of places, said Loorya.



'The developer did not by law have to have us there for the demolition or excavation, but he wants to preserve that history,' said Loorya.



'It’s part of the character of the space.'



The current building owner Alex Chu tore down the structure on the site but decided that he wanted to preserve that history found on the land where the hotel will sit.



DNAinfo reports that the land on the Bowery across from the Manhattan Bridge was once historic farmland outside of New York City that was a part of the butcher's district and was the site of New York City's first slaughterhouse.



New York's most prominent butcher Nicholas Bayard opened the tavern in the 1740s as a place for those who were traveling and selling livestock to relax and also to talk about business.

Archeologists found tiny bottles with elixir inside meant to promote long life and health

When the British controlled New York the area was also known as a recruitment center where men would go to sign up for the King's army and receive $25 in exchange for enlisting.



Years later the tavern was purchased by a wealthy butcher by the name of Henry Astor.



In around 1825, the site was destroyed in order to make room for a theater and hotel on the land which was later turned into a dealership for stoves.



in 1858 the site became a bar again when Wilheim Kramer bought 50 Bowery and turned it into the bar Atlantic Garden.



The bar was a popular sport for drinking German beer and eating German food and there was even live music.



Atlantic Garden was known for having an orchestration, a giant mechanical organ that mimicked and entire orchestra.



Hundreds of 19th-century liquor bottles, plates and mugs ? many of which are largely intact were discovered at 50 Bowery's construction site

Loorya told The New York Times that the bar had the largest orchestration in the world at that time.



Even though the Atlantic Garden was known as a family friendly place, it had some issues with police because it broke the law by selling alcohol on Sundays.



By 1916, the Atlantic Garden closed after the neighborhood lost some of it's popularity after the German population began to move away.

Even after being demolished and revamped several times, the two story building that remained up until last year was a Duane Reade and Chinese restaurant.



Now, new owners have been working with archeologists from the beginning to make sure that nothing of historical significance gets destroyed as they build the new hotel on the land.

Workers also plan to incorporate the found artifacts into the new hotel somehow.



'The artifacts will be documented and put into historical context, and then integrated into the development’s public spaces,' the company wrote in a statement.



'We want to provide an opportunity for visitors to participate in the history of 50 Bowery, connecting its past to the present, and discover the different people and cultures that have contributed to making this city one of the greatest in the world.'









































