JAMES BURK INN
Believed to be one of ten or twelve houses built by Sir William Johnson; all were 1.5 stories and painted yellow. Built c. 1765 for Robert Picken, Johnson’s surveyor, the home was originally located on South William Street. It is believed that the first shots of the Revolution in Johnstown were fired from the upstairs window of the home.
In 1788, the house was moved to James Burk’s lot to make room for Vaumane de FonClaire’s tavern (destroyed by fire in 1867). Burk operated an inn here until 1812; he added the smoking benches on the front as well as the lean-to in the back of the building.
From 1813-1925, the building was the home of the Younglove family. Isaiah Younglove, a shoemaker, used the lean-to as his shop. The Johnstown Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution purchased the home in 1925, but allowed Susanna Younglove to remain there until her death a decade later. The Johnstown Historical Society acquired the building in 2014. It still serves as the meeting place for the DAR. The Historical Society established the James Burk Preservation Fund to raise money for a multiphase repair and restoration project.
