'''Taverns''', or '''public houses''' (in England and Australia, '''pubs''') serving food, beer and rum, performed a major social and communications role in many countries.
==Colonial North America=====Colonial===
Taverns were essential for colonial Americans, especially in the South where towns hardly existed. In the taverns the colonists learned current crop prices, arranged trades, heard newspapers read aloud, and discovered business opportunities and the latest betting odds on the upcoming horse races. For most rural Americans the tavern was the chief link to the greater world, playing a role much like the city marketplace in Europe and Latin America.