The English muffin did not come from England, but was invented in New York City.
Thomas English Muffins were invented at 163 Ninth Avenue. That’s where Samuel Bath Thomas, an immigrant from England, set up his bakery when he moved to the city in 1874.
By 1880, he was cooking up the muffins (similar to British crumpets) and delivering them to “hotel and restaurant by pushcart.” Soon, he needed to open up a second bakery — this one on nearby 20th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues.
When Thomas died in 1919, his family took over the business, eventually selling it and abandoning both locations. The ovens in the West 20th Street building were discovered by its occupants in 2006. It is now called “The Muffin House” and a brass plaque tells the building’s history on its walls.
Thanks New York Times!