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Gay's Tavern was a tavern in Dedham, Massachusetts. The original location was a political hotspot and the host of a political convention in 1780, while the second location (at today's 369 Washington Street) would become known by many names, including the Phoenix Hotel.
The Tavern was originally located on Court Street [1] across Highland Street from the Dedham Inn. [2] [3] The original proprietor in 1749 was Benjamin Gay, who built it into an establishment as nice or nicer than any other in the area. [4] Benjamin and Nathaniel Ames of the Ames Tavern had a rivalry, with Ames once writing in the Ames Almanack that people should not believe the rumors Benjamin was spreading about his establishment. [4] Slightly north of Gay's Tavern, at the intersection of Court and Church Street, was Howe's Tavern. [3] [5]
In those days, stagecoaches would stop at the various taverns along the route for a change of horses or refreshments. [6] In the early days, as many as 20 stagecoaches a day would pass by the house, with many stopping at Gay's Tavern. [2] [4] The arrival of the coach was always a lively one at Gay's Tavern. [6] The townsmen eager for the latest news would drop in and mingle with the new arrivals around the comfortable fire in the great room. [6] Here the assembled company would discuss all manner of subjects, with politics usually being the chief topic. [6]
After Benjamin died in 1761, his widow ran the Tavern. [4] Following her death, her son Joshua Gay ran the Tavern. [4] [lower-alpha 1] Joshua kept the Tavern for more than 25 years until his death, at which point Timothy Gay of Needham became the owner and proprietor. [4] [3] The Tavern was a sort of political headquarters for years during this era. [3]
Shortly after the Constitution of Massachusetts was adopted on October 25, 1780, a number of towns in Suffolk County, of which Dedham was a part, elected delegates to a convention to decide upon some policy relative to the division of the county. [7] The convention met at Gay's Tavern on December 12, 1780, and adopted a resolution to the effect that the towns of Bellingham, Dedham, Foxborough, Franklin, Medfield, Medway, Needham, Stoughton, Stoughtonham, Walpole, and Wrentham, along with the Middlesex County towns of Holliston, Hopkinton, Natick, and Sherborn ought to be formed into a new county with Medfield as the shiretown. [7] The Great and General Court did not look favorably upon the resolution, however, and Norfolk County was not created until 1793, with Dedham as the shiretown.
Following the creation of Norfolk County, Gay's Tavern was the site of a Court of General Sessions on August 25, 1794. [8] They ordered that the committee on buildings proceed with collecting materials for building a jail. [8] On the last day of September following this order, the court accepted from Timothy Gay [lower-alpha 2] the gift of a parallelogram lot of land to erect the Norfolk County Jail next to his tavern. [8] [10] [11]
When the Norfolk and Bristol Turnpike was opened in 1803, Gay leased a tavern directly on the new road where it met High Street, [3] [5] [12] where 369 Washington Street stands today. His tavern was one of many that sprouted up to serve the more than 600 coaches that would pass through Dedham each day on their way to Boston or Providence. [13]
Gay was also the owner of the Citizen Stagecoach Line and, due to this, all of the stagecoaches traveling between Providence and Boston stopped at his tavern. [5] [14] [lower-alpha 3] Gay paid $5,000 a year to use the turnpike, and was able to get a coach from one city to the other in just under three and a half hours. [5] The stable behind Gay's Tavern could hold over 100 horses and eight horse teams could be switched within two minutes. [14]
Timothy Gay left the Tavern by 1810, [15] but it was then operated by a number of others, some of whom gave the business their own name, including Calp, Smith, Polley, Alden, and Bride. [5] [16] Despite this, it was still commonly known as Gay's Tavern. [17]
An advertisement appeared on March 24, 1807, announcing that Stephen Fuller, the current tavern keeper, would be selling the tavern. [17] Possession would transfer on June 10. [17] In 1821, Alden left the Norfolk House to run Gay's Tavern. [18] [5] In 1828, he purchased the Norfolk House and returned there. [6]
John Bride was proprietor by 1832 and it was an attractive hotel that could handle the relay of horses and the needs of the many passengers who passed through each day. [5] [14] The 12 to 15 coaches that pulled up each day typically had seven or more people in each. [5] The stable housed over 100 horses at any given time. [14] Teams of eight horses could be swapped out in two minutes. [14]
The Tavern and several of the adjoining buildings were destroyed by fire on October 30, 1832. [3] About sixty horses belonging to the Citizens Stage Company perished in the fire. [3] The tavern was rebuilt and the new building was named the Phoenix House. [3]
It was opened in 1834 with James Bride as the landlord and soon came to be widely known as Bride's Tavern. [3] At the time it was completed it was the finest hotel in Norfolk County and in its appointments rivaled some of the leading hotels of Boston. [3] [16] Under different names and different managers, the house continued to do a good business until it was again burned to the ground on the morning of December 25, 1880. [3] [16] Among the distinguished guests of this hotel were President Andrew Jackson and President James Monroe. [3]
Annual and special meetings of the Society in Dedham for Apprehending Horse Thieves were held at the hotel after 1849. [19]
Norfolk County is located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. At the 2020 census, the population was 725,981. Its county seat is Dedham. It is the fourth most populous county in the United States whose county seat is neither a city nor a borough, and it is the second most populous county that has a county seat at a town. The county was named after the English county of the same name. Two towns, Cohasset and Brookline, are exclaves. Norfolk County is included in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metropolitan Statistical Area. Norfolk County is the 24th highest-income county in the United States with a median household income of $107,361. It is the wealthiest county in Massachusetts.
Medfield is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,799 according to the 2020 United States Census. It is a community about 17 miles (27 km) southwest of Boston, Massachusetts, which is a 40-minute drive to Boston's financial district. Attractions include the Hinkley Pond and the Peak House.
James Allen, also known as George Walton, Jonas Pierce, James H. York, Burley Grove, was an American highwayman.
The Society in Dedham for Apprehending Horse Thieves is one of the "oldest continually existing horse thief apprehending organization in the United States, and one of Dedham's most venerable social organizations." Since its founding there have been more than 10,000 members including heads of state, Supreme Court justices, governors, popes, professors, generals, and other notables.
The history of Dedham, Massachusetts, from 1800 to 1899 saw growth and change come to the town. In fact, the town changed as much during the first few decades of the 19th century as it did in all of its previous history.
The Norfolk County Courthouse, also known as the William D. Delahunt Courthouse, is a National Historic Landmark at 650 High Street in Dedham, Massachusetts. It currently houses the Norfolk County Superior Court. It is significant as a well-preserved Greek Revival courthouse of the 1820s, and as the site a century later of the famous Sacco-Vanzetti trial. The building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1972, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It replaced an earlier courthouse, built in 1795.
The Norfolk House also known as the Norfolk Hotel, was a tavern in Dedham, Massachusetts originally built in 1801 and located at 19 Court Street. It hosted John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, and the Marquis de Lafayette.
Nathaniel Ames was an American medical doctor, politician, and teacher. He represented Dedham, Massachusetts in the Massachusetts Great and General Court.
The Norfolk County Jail was a jail located on Village Avenue in Dedham, Massachusetts. It replaced the first Norfolk County Jail on nearby Highland Street. Today, the building is a condominium complex.
The history of Dedham, Massachusetts from 1700 to 1799 saw the town become one of the largest and most influential country towns in Massachusetts. As the population grew and residents moved to outlying areas of the town, battles for political power took place. Similar battles were taking place within the churches, as liberal and conservative factions bristled at paying for ministers with whom they had differences of theological opinion. New parishes and preciencts were formed, and eventually several new towns broke away.
The Ames Tavern was a tavern in Dedham, Massachusetts. Founded as Fisher's Tavern in 1649 by Joshua Fisher, it eventually passed into the hands of Nathaniel Ames through a complicated lawsuit based on colonial laws of inheritance. It was eventually owned by Richard Woodward, who renamed it the Woodward Tavern by the time the convention that adopted the Suffolk Resolves met there.
The Norfolk County Jail was a wooden jail located on Highland Street in Dedham, Massachusetts. Following the creation of Norfolk County in 1792, Timothy Gay deeded land to the county for the creation of the jail in October 1794. Construction began that year but it was not complete until 1795. The donated land, next to Gay's tavern on Highland Street, was on the corner of Court Street next to the present day St. Paul's Church.
The Dedham Bank was a bank in Dedham, Massachusetts. It was located on the corner of High and Pearl Streets.
The Phoenix Hotel was one of the most popular social spots in Dedham during the 19th century. It was located on the northwest corner of the High Street-Washington Street intersection in modern-day Dedham Square. Among the distinguished guests of this hotel were Andrew Jackson and James Monroe.
St. Mary's School and Asylum was a Catholic girls' school and orphanage in Dedham, Massachusetts.
This is a timeline of the history of the town of Dedham, Massachusetts.
19 Court Street is an historic building in Dedham, Massachusetts that was originally built in 1801 as a two-story, Federal-style single-family home. It was soon thereafter converted into a tavern, and hosted John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, and the Marquis de Lafayette. In the 2010s it was converted into apartments. It has more than 15,000 square feet of living space.
Martin Marsh was a mason, tavern keeper, and businessman from Dedham, Massachusetts. He built 19 Court Street in Dedham.
The Dedham Fire Department is the fire department for Dedham, Massachusetts.
369 Washington Street, also known as the Knights of Columbus building, is a fraternal and commercial building in Dedham, Massachusetts. Today it houses the local Knights of Columbus council and a number of commercial ventures. In the past, the property housed a number of taverns, including the Phoenix Hotel. Several notable guests, including Andrew Jackson and James Monroe, have visited the property.
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