Suter's Tavern

Suter's Tavern, also known officially as The Fountain Inn, was a tavern located in Georgetown, which later became part of Washington, D.C., and it served as Georgetown's best-known hostelry until the emergence of several newer taverns in the 1790s. [cite book |title=The City Tavern: A Century of Georgetown History, 1796-1898|date=1980 |publisher=Columbia Historical Society; City Tavern Association reprint |author=Holmes, Oliver W. |pages=p. 5]

John Suter established the tavern in the late 1700s in Georgetown on Fishing Lane, near today's intersection of 31st and K Streets, NW. Though the precise location of the tavern is not entirely clear, it is known to have been located about two blocks southwest of the Old Stone House, where Mr. Suter's son, John Jr., resided.cite web| last=| first=| title="Rock Creek Park: The Old Stone House" | work=| publisher=National Park Service| date=| url=http://www.nps.gov/archive/rocr/olst/history.htm| accessdate=2008-06-05] The building that housed the tavern has been described as a small building, one and half stories, with a large inn yard in back to accommodate coaches and wagons. [cite book |title=A Portrait of Old Georgetown |date=1933 |publisher=Garrett & Massie, Inc. |author=Ecker, Grace Dunlop |pages=p. 18] Suter continued to operate this tavern until his death in 1794, after which his wife continued running it until early 1796. By February of that year, Clement Sewall had taken over operations of the Fountain Inn, but by December 1796, he had left to operate the newly-built City Tavern (now the City Tavern Club). Eventually, Suter's Fountain Inn became an oyster-house and ultimately disappeared without record. [cite book |title=The City Tavern: A Century of Georgetown History, 1796-1898|date=1980 |publisher=Columbia Historical Society; City Tavern Association reprint |author=Holmes, Oliver W. |pages=pp. 2, 5]

George Washington and other notable residents frequented the tavern, which was the site of land deals involved in establishing Washington as the "Federal City". [cite journal |author=Holmes, Oliver W. |title=Suter's Tavern: Birthplace of the Federal City |journal=Records of the Columbia Historical Society |volume=73-74 |pages=pp. 1–34]

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