Benjamin J. Havens

Proprietor, Benny Havens Tavern

Highland Falls, New York

For generations of West Point cadets, succor from the rigors of the Academy was found at an off-limits tavern run by Benjamin J. Havens. Passage to Benny's was difficult. Heavy woods lay between the Point and Highland Falls, which was little more than a flour mill and a few houses. There was an unimproved wood road south, and a rough footpath down to Benny’s. It was hard going in the dark or in bad weather, but the regulars soon learned the way. Others traveled down the Hudson, either by boat when available or over the ice in winter.

Those who braved the journey were amply rewarded. The specialty drink of the house was the “hot flip,” made of rum or cider, beaten eggs, sugar, and spices. It was heated by dousing a red-hot poker or “flip dog” into an enormous flagon from which the drinks were served. The key to the “flip” was knowing when to remove the “dog” to produce the distinctive caramel-like flavor, a skill that Old Ben had perfected. However, while Benny Havens was most notorious for serving alcohol, his tavern was truly a haven in many respects. Cadets enjoyed home cooked meals, were able to relax, unwind, and spend a few hours free of the demands of the Academy. Cadet Nathaniel Wyche Hunter, Goat of the Class of 1833, in the following letter to his sister, captures the mood of the cadets for whom Benny Havens’ was a cherished sanctuary:

There are about a dozen of us in the Corps who have of our weekly suppers [together] (you must not infer that we get drunk -- make beasts of ourselves etc.) We eat and drink (wine) moderately, talk of home of graduating and politics toast the girls and return to barrack about 3 a.m. This helps very much to pass away the time until June or May when I intend to commence studying. I have told you of Benny's and of the many pleasant hours I have spent there. I hope yet to spend many more before I take my final adieus. However anxious I am to leave this place there are many things from which it will almost rend my heart to be separated forever and among these Benny's holds a very conspicuous place. The old man and his wife, and the chimney corner in which I have smoked many a pipe, and the blazing log fire, and the clean table and tablecloth, and buckwheats and butter cakes, and beef steaks, ham and eggs, all so much remind me of bygone and happier days that I would willingly cling to that forever.

William Tecumseh Sherman called Benny Havens "a rascal not worthy of remembrance;" but most agreed with Cadet Edgar Allan Poe's assessment that Old Ben was “the sole congenial soul in this God-forsaken place.” Benny Havens became an American legend heralded in song for over 100 years.

Please send comments to Author@LastInTheirClass.com