This small tavern, a two-storied, gambrel-fronted frame house, is the only surviving ale house from the Revolutionary War period of Halifax. It could have originally been originally a residence that served as an annex to the Pope’s Hotel which was said to have nineteen fireplaces and nine chimneys. In 1792, Jacob Johnston was granted a license by the town of Halifax to operate an “ordinary” on this site. This building hosted dance lessons, masonic lodge meetings and other activities. The name was given to the building by twentieth-century historians. Much of the building has been restored, but original features include the nine-over-nine pegged sash windows in some of the dormers and part of the paneled wainscot on the first floor. It is said to have had the first public billiard table in Halifax.

In 1891, the building became a private residence and remained so until 1972 when the state purchased it. The Historical Halifax Restoration Association (HHRA) contributed much of the funding needed to restore the building and it is furnished with period reproductions appropriate to a tavern. The Tap Room was dedicated in 2001 to Ray Wilkinson who was the chairman of the HHRA for over fifty years.