James Burk Inn
The James Burk Inn is believed to be one of the first ten houses built by Sir William Johnson. All ten houses were one and a half stories tall and all were painted yellow. The Inn was built in 1765 on a building lot at 5 South William Street. The house was built for Robert Pickens, Sir William’s surveyor. The house was moved in 1788 to its current location at 200 South William Street. The reason for moving the house was to make room for Vaumann DeFonClaire’s Tavern known as “The Potter House. The Potter House burned in 1967.
The James Burk Inn operated from 1788 – 1812. During that period Burk added smokers’ benches, a well beneath the kitchen and a lean-to with a loft that was used for ledging teamsters.
The Inn, later known as the Younglove Homestead, was purchased by Isaiah Younglove in 1812. Younglove was a bootmaker and used the lean-to section of the building for his bootmaking shop. Patrons entered through the Montgomery Street door on the north side of the building. Younglove’s daughter, Susanna Younglove, lived in the home maintaining a gift shop and giving art lessons until her death in 1935. Miss Younglove had a cellar dug under the front section of the house in 1895 and had a furnace installed at that time. The floor of the front section was raised to make for the DAR Assembly Room which is still used by the Johnstown Historical Society fot meetings and events.
The Johnstown Chapter of the National Daughters of the American Revolution purchased the house in 1925 allowing Miss Younglove to remain until her death. The Chapter removed the partition that sectioned off the original boot shop to create the Assembly Room. In 1964 the Chapter had the house rewired. In 1993, under the leadership of Regent Harriet Grady, the chimneys were repaired. And in 1994 with donations from the Argersinger Fund and Mary Louise Evans, the front porch and smokers’ benches were replaced.
In 2014 the Johnstown Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution transferred title to the James Burk Inn to the Johnstown Historical Society.
