The Oldest Businesses in the United States

Across America, there are many businesses still in operation that are older than the Declaration of Independence! Since the dawn of the United States, establishing a business to serve the people and make a living has been a cornerstone of the American spirit. This fascinating chart created by the team at Wyoming Trust & LLC Attorney is a celebration of the pioneering backbone of the the United States:

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Did you know that the Jim Beam Distillery has been in operation since George Washington was president? It was established in 1975, making it the oldest business in Kentucky. That’s why I love gathering content to share with Chartistry; you get to learn all sorts of obscure trivia!

The oldest business in the United States that is still operational is the Shirley Plantation in Charles City, Virginia. The grounds were first established in 1613 by English merchant and politician Sir Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr. Here is another fun fact about the baron; the bay, river, a Native American people, and a U.S. state were all named “Delaware” after him.

The second oldest business in America is Tuttle’s Red Barn in Dover, New Hampshire, established in 1632. There are claims that it is the oldest known family-owned farm in America, but this has been challenged. It has been passed down across eleven generations since John Tuttle arrived in the New World with a land grant from Charles II of England. It was originally 20 acres, but it expanded to its peak of 240 acres during the 20th century. Nowadays, the farm’s largest crop is sweet corn.