The German Palatine settlement of Stone Arabia was first settled in 1723 with the issuing of the Stone Arabia Patent. The Palatines resettled there after land title disputes forced these immigrants to relocate from their settlements in the Schoharie Valley.
On August 27, 1774, just a few weeks after the death of Sir William Johnson, local patriots held a meeting at the Adam Loucks Tavern in Stone Arabia. This first meeting led to the formation of the Palatine District Committee of the Tryon County Committee of Safety. The Stone Arabia settlers were unified on their stand concerning the issue of the day. Nearly two years before liberty was proclaimed by the 13 colonies, the Stone Arabia farmers had drafted their own set of Resolutions.
Most of the German Palatine residents of Stone Arabia were not fans of royal sovereignty. The previous generation of Palatines had earned their liberty fleeing the oppression of the warring kings of Europe and later working in indentured servitude here in America. Now the political talk of the day was suggesting more self-governance in the colonies, a concept that the Palatines readily embraced.
Adam Loucks, the tavern keeper, and most likely his customers too, did not hesitate to promote this independent thinking and make it clear to all, their views on royal interference in their lives. On the tavern’s walls could be found the following inscription under an upside down picture of Louis XIV, King of France.
This is the man we all should hate,
Who drove us from our home,
Who burned the old Palatinate
And sent us forth to roam.
The Loucks Tavern was burned after the Battle of Stone Arabia along with the rest of the farming community and the twin churches October 19, 1780.
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