Serving soldiers, their families, and the community during the Revolution
In the rolling countryside of northern York County, Dill’s Tavern and the neighboring Eichelberger Distillery formed a vital civilian-military hub during the American Revolution. It is here that news, supplies, soldiers, and strategy converged far from the main battlefields.
Founded in the 1740s by Matthew Dill, Dill’s Tavern stood at the crossroads of major colonial roads linking Carlisle, York, and points west. By the Revolutionary era, the tavern was a critical stopping place for Continental soldiers, militia units, wagon trains, and government messengers moving through south-central Pennsylvania. Taverns like this one served as informal command posts: places where orders were delivered, intelligence exchanged, troops quartered, and local loyalty quietly tested. The steady movement of men through Dill’s Tavern reflects Pennsylvania’s role as the logistical backbone of the Continental Army rather than a front-line battleground.
Just steps away, the Eichelberger Distillery supplied another essential wartime commodity: distilled spirits. Whiskey and rum were not luxuries in the 18th-century army: they were staples. Spirits were issued as rations, used to boost morale, disinfect wounds, and preserve grain in transportable form. Distilleries like Eichelberger’s converted surplus crops into valuable, shelf-stable supplies that could support armies on the move. Alcohol production also strengthened the local wartime economy, keeping farms, transporters, and artisans engaged in the Patriot cause.
Dill’s Tavern and the Eichelberger Distillery remind us that the fight for American independence passed not only through famous battlefields—but through barrooms, still houses, and crossroads communities where ordinary people quietly supported an extraordinary cause.
Address: 227 North Baltimore Street, Dillsburg, PA 17019
Access notes: Dill’s Tavern is about a 20 minute drive away from Carlisle through rolling countryside. Parking is available on the street and in several nearby lots.
Visitor Tips: 2026 seasonal Sunday Tavern Tours will begin on April 12th and run through October 25th – every Sunday at 2pm & 3pm. $5 per individual / $10 per family (immediate & living in the same household) Children under 12 are free.
Tours of the Eichelberger Distillery at Dill’s Tavern happen year round and are purchased separately here.
Monday through Saturday tours are by appointment only. To book a private tour for 10 or more guests, please visit our new group tour page. To book a private tour of less than 10 guests, please contact us to organize your visit.
Dill’s Tavern is also the location of the annual Dills Celtic Festival. For more information on the festival, which is held during the spring, visit https://dillscelticfest.com/.
While you’re in Dillsburg, check out a few neighboring Revolution War sites, including the Historic Monaghan Church and the Warrington Quaker Meeting House.
Patriot’s Story: Captain Thomas Campbell
1750-1815
Captain Thomas Campbell of Monaghan Township (today’s Dillsburg, Pennsylvania) represented the kind of local leadership on which the American Revolution ultimately depended. Born in 1750 on Pennsylvania’s western frontier, Campbell came of age in a region shaped by hard labor, close-knit communities, and the constant demands of frontier defense. When revolution came, men like Campbell were already accustomed to responsibility.
Campbell served as a captain in Pennsylvania’s militia, a force drawn directly from local farms and villages. As a captain, Campbell was responsible for recruiting and organizing his company, enforcing discipline, coordinating supplies, and leading men who would often leave their fields and families at a moment’s notice.
Militia units from this region played a critical role in guarding supply routes, responding to British threats in Pennsylvania, and reinforcing the Continental Army when needed. Their service ensured that the Revolution could be sustained over years, and the presence of experienced local officers like Campbell helped maintain order and morale among citizen-soldiers whose service was intermittent but essential.
After the war, Campbell returned to civilian life, witnessing the transformation of Monaghan Township from a frontier settlement into a settled community within the new United States. He died in 1815, part of the first generation to live their entire adult lives under American independence.
Other Local Patriots
Old Monaghan–now Dillsburg–was home to a number of patriots, including:
Colonel Matthew Dill II (1726-1812) – Colonel Dill served with the 5th Battalion of the Lancaster County Militia in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. He was a member of the General Assembly in 1777 and 1779.
Lieutenant James Dill (1750-1777) – 2nd Lieutenant James Dill, son of Colonel Matthew Dill II, served with the 11th Pennsylvania Regiment, Continental Army during the Revolution. He was made 2d Lieutenant of Hartley’s Continental Regiment on January 13, 1777 and died on September 11, 1777 in Chadds Ford Township, Delaware County, at the Battle of Brandywine.
Private Thomas Dill (1748-1833) – Thomas Dill was born in 1748 near Dillsburg, a son of Matthew Dill II. Private Dill served in the 6th Battalion Pennsylvania with Captain Moses McClean and Colonel William Irvine.
Captain Thomas Campbell (1750) – Captain Thomas Campbell served in Thompson’s Pennsylvania Rifle Regiment from June 1775 to January 1777; 4th Pennsylvania Regiment, Revolutionary War, 1777; Promoted to Lieutenant in January 1777 and engaged in action at the Battle of Germantown (Wounded in left wrist and torso by musket ball); elected, United States Constitutional Convention, 1787; elected, Federalist, Pennsylvania State House of Representatives, 1793-1800; elected, Federalist, Pennsylvania State Senate, 1807-1811; elected, Delegate, York County, Pennsylvania State Constitutional Convention; and Ratification, United States Constitution, 1787.
Anne Marshall Dill Witherspoon Walker (1768-1811) – Widow of Dr. Armstrong Dill (grandson of Dillsburg’s Matthew Dill), Anne married John Witherspoon in 1791. Witherspoon was the President of Princeton College and a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
How Distilling Worked in the 18th Century
In York County and the surrounding backcountry, distilling was a practical response to surplus grain. Rye, corn, or barley could spoil if left unprocessed, but when distilled, it became portable, durable, and valuable.
A typical still consisted of:
A copper pot where fermented grain mash was heated
A cap and arm that carried vapor away
A worm (a coiled copper tube) cooled by water, where vapor condensed back into liquid alcohol
Distilling concentrated calories, preserved harvests, and created a form of currency. Whiskey could be traded, taxed, or used to pay laborers. During the Revolutionary War, spirits were essential for morale, medicine, and military rations.
At Dill’s Tavern, distilling connected agriculture, tavern culture, and wartime supply. The spirits produced here fueled both civilian life and the revolutionary movement—an early reminder that independence was fermented as much as it was fought for.
Resources
For information about Dill’s Tavern, Eichelberger Distillery, and soldiers from Dillsburg, visit the Northern York Historical and Preservation Society.
Credits and Permissions
Images of Dill’s Tavern were courtesy of the Northern York Historical and Preservation Society.
Some images associated with Dill’s Tavern and Eichelberger Distillery were courtesy of the Cumberland Valley Visitor’s Bureau.
Portions of this section were researched and written by members of the Northern York Historical and Preservation Society. Other content in this section was curated by volunteers from the Army Heritage Center Foundation.