The Coffee House

This imaginary news site, The Coffee House, gets its name from the coffee houses in England, which served as centers of business, cultural, and political life. Coffee houses thrived from about 1650 to 1850. In England, many people visited their favorite coffee houses daily to make business and social contacts or to read the newspapers and pamphlets provided there. In America, the coffee house often doubled as a tavern -- but it served the same function as a meeting place, news source, and social center. Some even provided mailboxes so regular patrons could receive letters.