A Fictional Conversation with William Mayes Jr. at the White Horse Tavern
Note: This is a fictional interview based on historical records.
Dan: Today, we’ve traveled back to Newport, Rhode Island, in the late 1600s, and I’m standing inside the White Horse Tavern with one of its most colorful owners, privateer William Mayes Jr. William, thank you for joining me.
William Mayes Jr.: A pleasure, Mr. Blanchard. Though I confess, I’ve never before been interviewed by a man who arrived without a horse, a ship, or a proper wig.
Dan: Fair enough! Let’s start with the question everyone wants to know. Were you a pirate?
Mayes: (Laughs.) Depends on who is asking. If a Spanish captain is asking, then perhaps I was. If His Majesty’s government is asking, I was a loyal privateer operating under legal authority. We privateers carried commissions from the Crown permitting us to attack enemy shipping during times of war.
Dan: So, a legal pirate?
Mayes: If you insist upon using modern language, yes. But there is a difference. Pirates rob everyone. Privateers rob the king’s enemies and pay taxes on the proceeds.
Dan: That’s certainly one way to look at it. How did your privateering ventures affect Newport?
Mayes: Every successful voyage brought wealth into the town. Sailors spent money. Merchants sold goods. Shipbuilders found work. Taverns prospered. The sea was our highway, and commerce was our lifeblood.
Dan: Speaking of taverns, how did your family become involved with the White Horse Tavern?
Mayes: In 1673, my family enlarged this building and helped establish it as a tavern. Newport was growing quickly. Ships arrived daily. Merchants, sailors, politicians, and travelers all needed a place to eat, drink, conduct business, and exchange news.
Dan: Today, we have social media. What was the colonial version?
Mayes: You are standing in it.
Dan: The tavern?
Mayes: Exactly. Every rumor, every business opportunity, every political argument passed through these walls. If a ship arrived from Boston, London, or the Caribbean, the news often reached this tavern before it reached anywhere else.
Dan: So this wasn’t just a place for food and drink?
Mayes: Not at all. Important decisions were made here. Business partnerships were formed here. Friendships were built here. Arguments were settled here. Occasionally, arguments became fistfights here as well.
Dan: I’ve read that government meetings were held here.
Mayes: Indeed. Newport possessed few public buildings in those days. The General Assembly met here. Courts met here. Town leaders gathered here. You might say the government rented a table and borrowed our fireplace.
Dan: That’s amazing. Today, people often separate government, business, and social life into different buildings. Back then, it all happened under one roof.
Mayes: Necessity often breeds efficiency.
Dan: What qualities made Newport successful during your time?
Mayes: Courage, enterprise, and tolerance. Newport welcomed people from many backgrounds. A port city survives by being open to trade, new ideas, and new people.
Dan: That’s a lesson many people could still learn today.
Mayes: Human nature changes little. Only the clothing becomes more peculiar.
Dan: Let’s talk leadership. My viewers love leadership lessons from history. What advice would you give aspiring leaders?
Mayes: A leader must create opportunities for people to gather and exchange ideas. Ships need harbors. Communities need meeting places. Businesses need customers. Governments need citizens. Great things happen when people come together.
Dan: That’s remarkably similar to the leadership lesson I teach from the White Horse Tavern: Great leaders create gathering places where ideas can be shared.
Mayes: Then your students are learning something worthwhile.
Dan: Before we finish, what do you think when you hear that people are still eating and drinking at the White Horse Tavern more than 350 years later?
Mayes: I find it astonishing. Buildings are usually lost to fire, war, neglect, or foolish decisions. The fact that future generations preserved this tavern tells me they understood its value.
Dan: What value is that?
Mayes: A community without memory loses its identity. Preserve the places where your story was written, and future generations will better understand themselves.
Dan: William Mayes Jr., privateer, tavern keeper, businessman, and community builder—thank you for joining us today.
Mayes: And thank you, Mr. Blanchard. Though I remain deeply suspicious of your magical recording device.
Dan: That’s fair. Thanks for joining us today.
Mayes: Mark my words, Mr. Blanchard. Long after our ships have rotted away and our names are forgotten, this tavern will still stand, and people will still gather here to share stories.
Travel in Time with Dan brings travel, history, and leadership together.
Uncovering History. Inspiring Leadership.
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