The Indian King Tavern takes its name from another tavern that was built in Haddonfield in the mid-1750’s. Sarah Norris opened a tavern near Potter Street and called it the Indian King, after the Lenni Lenape Indian chiefs whose tribes once occupied the area. She placed a bold profile of a Lenape chief on her tavern sign, making it one of the most recognized symbols in the town.
Norris’s tavern was eventually taken over by a woman named Mary French who later married local businessman Hugh Creighton. In 1777, the couple bought the large tavern across the street and transferred the name “Indian King” to their new establishment. The Indian King was now the largest tavern in Haddonfield. Its name remains unchanged today.