OLD TAVERNS OF LEOMINSTER

Read before the Leominster Historical Society
by Miss Mary A. Tolman, June 13, 1906

In the early days of this country the tavern was an important institution and the innholder a person of distinction, usually a man of means, treating the traveler as his guest, anticipating his wants ready to give advice, settle differences and when courage faltered to inspire confidence, as in the case of the second town meeting, held at Benjamin Whitcomb's, in regard to building the meeting-house some are fearful it cannot be done. Jonathan White says it can and must be done.

In those days the tavern was the only building which had a hall for dancing or other entertainments. No town halls and yet without doubt they were as happy, and perhaps enjoyed life even more than at the present day, when there are so many places of amusement. The reason why there were so many taverns on West street was because it was the route from Boston to Vermont, and the western part of the state. All the freight for country stores was carried by these teams; they changed horses; often some preferred one tavern to another. The first tavern in Leominster was that of Benjamin Whitcomb on the "Broad Road" in North Leominster, probably near where Mr. James Marshall lives, on the other side of the road.

At this tavern—or inn, as they were known in those days—the town meetings (with the exception of the first) were held until the meeting-house was so far finished as to accommodate the inhabitants. Dr. Stebbins, in his centennial discourse in 1843, gives this pen picture of the place: "I can almost see these fifteen or at most twenty individuals seated around Benjamin Whitcomb's fire in grave deliberation, the snow drifting in upon them through the chinks between the logs of which the house was built." Dr. Stebbins' pen picture of the tavern may be correct, but if the Old Abbey (as the descendants of White claim was built in 1738) was a frame house would it not seem that a tavern built for the accommodation of travelers, would be something more than a house built of logs? After I had written the above I saw in "Leominster Traditions" that Jonathan White kept a hotel that was at King's Comer; the house was burned a few years ago. There the first town meeting was held. In those early days any one who accommodated travelers was called an innholder.

THE OLD ABBEY

When I wrote the sketch of the Old Abbey for "Leominster Traditions" a few years ago, I gave the date 1740 as the time when it was built, but the descendants of Josiah White place the date two years earlier, in 1738. Mr. White owned a saw-mill; lumber was plenty in those days, and it was built in a substantial manner, planks three inches in thickness being used. The original construction of the house was like what you see at the present time, the part taken down by Mr. Camp, the present owner, was the newer part. "It was in this, then most elegant and spacious mansion house, that John Avery, grandfather of the wife of Rev. Amos Smith (a former Unitarian minister) for thirty years in succession secretary of the commonwealth, resided several months with his family, in the early part of the Revolution." In 1795 Asa Perry conveyed it to Hopestill Leland and this is probably the time when it first became a tavern stand. In 1809 the Lelands sold it to Israel Nichols, who, with his brother Levi, was interested in the turnpike uniting the Fifth Massachusetts and the Concord line. A charter was obtained to connect one from the foot of the Monoosnock hill to Concord, called the Union turnpike. The object was to go as nearly straight as circumstances would permit, but in the ascent and descent it was pretty much out of the question. It passed over Nichols hill, and so on over the Harvard hill to the end. It was a well-made road, but the traveler found it was no farther, and a great deal easier, to go around the base than over the top of certain summits, and therefore the old road was preferred. In a few years the shares became nearly or quite worthless. Mr. Levi Nichols was a large shareholder in the enterprise." With the resumption of the old road it ceased to be a tavern. We are indebted to Mr. William H. Tolman, who resides in Charlestown, Mass., for the picture of the Old Abbey as it was when a tavern. He had been away from the place 47 years, leaving Leominster when 12 years of age. Having a good memory and some knowledge of drawing, he was able to make an outline of the place from which I made the crayon sketch. He says:

The door in the cellar wall led into a room for the slaves to live in. There was a fireplace which would take a back-log eight feet long, a dance hall on the second floor, and was used as a tavern in the time that the turnpike was in order from Concord to Westminster. It had two front doors facing the garden. The front yard was walled up three feet above the garden. On the other side of the road in front of the house was a building used as a store in old times, which was occupied by Bailey Hall as a hatter's shop. It was destroyed by fire while my father owned the place. At the back of the house was an elm tree. There were no trees which shaded the house except that one. One the hill near the Old Abbey was the cellar of the fortified house. Miss Eliza Turner taught a private school there in 1839. Mr. Tolman says that when he lived there the lattice of the bar was still standing between the kitchen and the front room.

KENDALL TAVERN

I had about despaired of being able to give any history of this ancient tavern, when a friend of mine loaned me a copy of the souvenir Masonic book, published at the time of their centennial. In that book is the following article: 'The old Kendall tavern, erected about 1785 by Jonas Kendall, and whose sign for over 50 years announced that 'refreshments for man and beast could be found within is still in a good state of preservation, showing the honest work in its construction. The extensive barns have long ago disappeared, and it has for many years been occupied as a farmhouse. As the birthplace of Aurora lodge it has a special interest to our members, and is one of the reminders of the changes which have occurred since the beginning of the 19th century, when turnpikes were in their glory, and seemed one of the greatest improvements in the march of 'rapid transit.' As the terminus of the Fifth Massachusetts turnpike, 'which extended from Northfield to Jonas Kendall's tavern in Leominster,' one of the principal highways of travel from Boston to Greenfield, Vermont and to Canada, the four and six horse coaches dashing along with heavy loads of passengers, and the long lines of teamsters transporting merchandise to and from Boston made it a busy thoroughfare. As one of the regular stations for exchanging stage horses, the old tavern was the scene of great activity. From its location it was a convenient meeting place for the brethren. Leominster at that time was the largest place, having 1495 inhabitants, Fitchburg 1390, Westminster 1369, and Lunenburg 1243. The coming of the railroad ended the days of the stage coach and travel was diverted from the old road, which today probably does not see one-quarter of the travel of one hundred years ago."

Aurora lodge, organized June 18th, 1801, held its meetings in the hall at this tavern until October 15th of that year. Again we are indebted to this book for any knowledge of the Beaman tavern. It was situated near where the Unitarian church stands, and is described as an old tavern when built, the length of time used as a tavern, we have no means of finding. Probably it was similar to the Moore and Kendall taverns.

Where Mr. George Gibson lives was once a tavern stand, his father, the late Bezellel Gibson, purchased it of Levi Moore in 1816- he leased it to Dr. Sewell Richardson for one year; it then ceased to be a tavern. It is unknown when built, but when a tavern stand it was not as large as at present. Mr. Gibson, after he came into possession of it built on a large addition. He was a comb-maker; also kept a store; 1820, was the time he opened a store; it was the custom in those days to pay the employees out of the store -a custom in vogue at as late a time as the civil war. Mr. Gibson tells me that the driveway building for the accommodation of loaded teams was at the right of the house, and large enough to shelter teams with a load of 1000 chairs; this building was moved to the hotel in the center of the town. I have a picture of the Lincoln house as it was before it was remodeled, where Mr. Johnson lives on West street. Mr. Gibson tells me the two houses were exactly alike.

PARKER TAVERN

One of the largest taverns for the accommodation of travelers was on West street, the main portion still standing at the comer of West and Exchange streets, the residence of W. D. Blanchard. A few years ago a friend living in Kentucky, but whose earlier years were passed on West street, sent me a plan of the inside and out of the tavern. I intend some time to make a picture of it, the same as I did of the Old Abbey. Parker owned it at the time Capt. Balch kept tavern there; that was over 80 years ago. A native of the town, now in his 93d year, remembers going there to dances when he was 13 years old. The youngest were called the trundle-bed party, the next older the string bean party; he remembers the bench at the side of the house, the end rounded off for travelers. How long Mr. Parker kept a tavern I am unable to say. After Capt. Balch left a son-in-law of Parker by the name of Putnam kept it one year; it then ceased to be a tavern; perhaps a tavern might have been kept as late as 1828, for that is the year when mention is first made of Capt. Balch in connection with the tavern in the center of the town. Putnam above mentioned had a blacksmith shop where Sleeper's store is. The following description was furnished by this friend- "The upper story of the family rooms was laid out like the lower, the kitchen only one story. The hotel portion or L had a hall the size of both the lower rooms, with the three windows in front and the two fireplaces on the back side. This was used for any kind of meetings or social entertainments and dinners. The first school 1 ever attended was in this hall, and Miss Abby Wilder -was the teacher; she was the only daughter of Mr. Joseph Wilder, who lived where Mr. Henry Wheelock built his new house. Elisha Allen lived there afterwards. A second term of school was taught by Miss Caroline Gibson, afterwards Mrs. Allen, Mr. George Gibson’s sister. The hall was entered from both stairways The unfinished outline on the right of the house was a long, wide "driveway building for the shelter of large loaded transportation wagons, when the drivers "put up" at the house for the night or during a storm in the winter. This open building must have been 60 or 75 feet long and as many as 30 or 40 feet wide, extending back up the street as far as the Rice house. There was a fine large elm tree back of it which shaded the end of the house. The stable, a long building, also on He left was on the slope of the ground towards the Dar8mWilder house, front end towards West street. It was two stories, and horses were taken in at a back side door on the upper floor. There was an elevated inclined platform from the lower to the upper story over which the horses were often taken from the lower to the upper floor. The lower elm tree in front was a very large trunk heavily branched at the forks, and a beautifully proportioned top. This had a small summer house in its branches, reached by a ladder in it The ladies at the tavern had 5 o'clock teas. It would accommodate eight people. It grew nearer the side path of the road than the upper one which was not as large. There was no Exchange street in those days, a fence across back of the barn and back end of the stable, I think a stone wall fence. The windows had only six panes of 8x10 size glass in each hall. There was a plank seat under the window where I have made dots. The length of the house from the door, rounded off at the outside end. The barn for hay and gram was back of the house.

The tavern in the Center, destroyed by fire July 10th, 1873, was built by Calvin Hale of the continental army. It was built in 1795, two stories in height, Capt. Balch building the piazzas and the upper stories many years later. November, 1802, Aurora lodge voted to hire the hall of Capt. Hale and for 40 years they held their meetings in this hall. How long Capt. Hale kept tavern I am unable to say. In the Masonic records mention is made of hiring the hall of Brother Cummings. I have heard elderly people speak of Cummings keeping the hotel. The first mention I find of Capt. Balch in connection with this tavern was in 1828, when St. John's day was celebrated and he provided a sumptuous dinner in a tent on the neighboring green, a dinner being provided for the ladies in the hall. A. J. Follansbee kept the hotel; then I think Mr. Emory Tilton. The last one to keep this tavern was Mr. Jerome Burditt. The firemen worked hard to save the building. They remained on the roof when it seemed as though it would fall in. Many pleasant associations were connected with it. Often I meet people who say I used to board there. One time the driver of a six-horse team stood on the steps of the hotel and at his command the team went around the pump, which perhaps some of you remember, and came up in front of the hotel in good order, a wager having been made that it could not be done.