Concord's Colonial Inn (also known as Colonial Inn) is a historic

inn Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accommo ...

Concord, Massachusetts Concord () is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. At the 2020 census, the town population was 18,491. The United States Census Bureau considers Concord part of Greater Boston. The town center is near where the confl ...

, United States. Its original structure, which is still in use, was built in 1716. It became a hotel in 1889.History
– Concord's Colonial InnConcord's Colonial Inn
–

Historic Hotels of America Historic Hotels of America is a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation that was founded in 1989 with 32 charter members; the program accepts nominations and identifies hotels that have maintained their authenticity, sense of pla ...

The inn is included in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

as part of the listed

Concord Monument Square–Lexington Road Historic District The Concord Monument Square–Lexington Road Historic District is an Historic districts in the United States, historic district in Concord, Massachusetts. Monument Square (Concord, Massachusetts), Monument Square, at the center of the district ...

. The inn overlooks the square on its northern side, and is one of the oldest properties listed on the Register. The inn, which was given its current name in 1900 after being known as The Colonial House (or The Colonial) for three years, has been a member of

since 2005. The building was formerly three separate constructions, combined into one in 1897. The middle section, today's main inn, was used as an ammunitions store during the Revolutionary War. Specifically, within the building, the Village Forge Tavern room was used as a storeroom for supplies during the war The inn has a connection with Henry David Thoreau, whose grandfather built its eastern section. It was inherited by Henry's father in 1801. Thoreau later stayed at the inn for two years while studying at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

Original properties

Three of Concord's historic houses, formerly distinct from one another, were joined to form the current structure in 1897.

Thoreau House

The east section was built in 1716 by Colonel James Minot, grandfather of cabinetmaker Ammi White, who lived there."History of the Wayside and Colonial inns"
– ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'', October 23, 2015 (White was involved in a controversy in 1775, when he attacked a wounded British soldier at the

Old North Bridge Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England * Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, M ...

with an axe, crushing his skull. It was later reported by passing British soldiers that he had been scalped and had his ears cut off.) The Whites sold the house in 1799 to John Thoreau (1754–1801), maternal grandfather of Henry David Thoreau. John Thoreau died in 1801, aged 46 or 47, but the property remained the home of his son, John Thoreau (1787–1859), and his wife, Cynthia Dunbar (1787–1872), Henry's parents.''The History of Concord, Massachusetts, Vol. I, Colonial Concord, Volume 1'', Alfred Sereno Hudson (1904), p. 311 It became known as the Thoreau House in 1889, when this and the middle building were purchased at auction by John Maynard Keyes (born 1862) and used as a boarding house and a small hotel.

Main building

In 1775, during the Revolutionary War, the middle section of the structure stored arms and provisions for the Concord

Minutemen Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Mi ...

The White House

The west section was the home of Deacon John White and his wife Esther Kettell. White would detain those people who travelled on the adjacent Lowell Road on the

Sabbath In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, commanded by God to be kept as a holy day of rest, as G ...

. John Keyes purchased this building in 1897 and combined it with the other two, reopening as The Colonial.

History

Many inhabitants of Concord made the inn their winter home in the first half of the 20th century. Around that time, the proprietor was William R. Rand. In 1960, the inn underwent a large expansion with the addition of the Prescott Wing (named for Revolutionary figure

William Prescott William Prescott (February 20, 1726 – October 13, 1795) was an American colonel in the Revolutionary War who commanded the patriot forces in the Battle of Bunker Hill. Prescott is known for his order to his soldiers, "Do not fire until ...

), which doubled the number of rooms to 32. A dining room, Merchants Row, was added in 1970, the name being a reference to John Thoreau, who was a merchant in Boston. The inn has a second restaurant, The Liberty, which also includes Forge Tavern. In 1966, a visitor staying in room 24, claimed to see an apparition at her bedside. German hotelier Jurgen Demisch purchased the hotel in 1988. He owned it for 27 years, selling it to Michael and Dorothy Harrington in 2015, a year before the original building's 300th anniversary.

Notable visitors

In 1775, British spy "John Howe" is believed to have stayed at the inn. Under the order of General

Thomas Gage General Thomas Gage (10 March 1718/192 April 1787) was a British Army general officer and colonial official best known for his many years of service in North America, including his role as British commander-in-chief in the early days of the ...

, he was tasked with examining the "roads, bridge and fording places" to ascertain the best route for an army to take between

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...

and Worcester "to destroy military stores deposited there." He returned via Concord, where he states he was introduced to Major

John Buttrick Major John Buttrick (July 20, 1731 May 16, 1791, Concord, Massachusetts) was one of the leaders of the Concord militia during the Battle of Concord on April 19, 1775. Given the usual interpretation of the first stanza of Ralph Waldo Emerson's f ...

and others and was invited to dine with them at the tavern. He states in his diary, published in Concord, New Hampshire, in 1827:''The History of Concord, Massachusetts, Vol. I, Colonial Concord, Volume 1'', Alfred Sereno Hudson (1904), p. 312 The authenticity of this source has been questioned. Henry David Thoreau lived at the inn with his aunts between 1835 and 1837 while he studied at

. In 1972,

Jacqueline Kennedy Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A po ...

, widow of former United States president John F. Kennedy, rented rooms at the inn when she first visited her daughter, Caroline, who was studying at

Concord Academy Concord Academy (also known as CA), established in 1922, is a coeducational, independent college preparatory school for boarding and day students in grades 9-12. The school is situated in Concord, Massachusetts. In 1971, Concord Academy became ...

.''American Legacy: The Story of John and Caroline Kennedy'', C. David Heymann (2007), p. 185

Gallery

File:Colonial Inn in Concord, Mass 2012-0088.jpg, Main entrance File:Colonial Inn, October 2013, Concord MA.jpg, Main façade, on Monument Street File:Colonial Inn, Concord, Mass (NYPL b12647398-73824).tiff, Sometime after 1898 File:Colonial Inn, Concord, Mass. - DPLA - 05121e1a4b5e8ec4abef7751719954fc.jpg, 1929. The three separate original structures are marked by the chimney locations

References

External links

*{{Official website, https://www.concordscolonialinn.com Buildings and structures in Concord, Massachusetts 1716 establishments in Massachusetts Hotels in Massachusetts Hotels established in 1889 Reportedly haunted locations in Massachusetts Historic Hotels of America