Hezekiah Healy

Hezekiah Healy
Born	(1766-10-08)October 8, 1766 Dudley, Massachusetts, United States
Died	(1817-12-28)December 28, 1817 Dudley, Massachusetts, United States
Resting place	Corbin Cemetery
Occupation(s)	Landowner, mechanic, cabinetmaker, militia captain
Known for	Builder of the Black Tavern; contributions to early American textile machinery
Spouse	Rebecca Corbin

Hezekiah Healy (October 8, 1766 - December 28, 1817) was a landowner, mechanic, cabinetmaker and militia captain in Dudley, Massachusetts.

Hezekiah built the Black Tavern, a historic tavern on Dudley Center Road around 1803.

Biography

Hezekiah was born in Dudley, Massachusetts to Joseph Healy, a Patriot of the Revolutionary War who is on the monument in front of the church on Dudley Hill, and Mary Whitmore. In 1798 Hezekiah married Rebecca Corbin, the daughter of Major Lemuel Corbin Sr, a local Minuteman.

Hezekiah made and set up the first loom for weaving by power used in the Webster mill of Samuel Slater. ^[1]

In 1803, Hezekiah began building what would become the Black Tavern, originally called Healy's Inn. The tavern and its surrounding areas were a popular spot for both locals and travelers, since it was in the Old Dudley Center, about halfway between Boston and Hartford and right next to Nichols College. ^[2]

Hezekiah passed away on December 28, 1817.

References

1. Warden, William A. (William Albert) (1901). The ancestors, kin and descendants of John Warden and Narcissa (Davis) Warden, his wife. Together with records of some other branches of Warden family in America. New York Public Library. Worcester, Mass. [Press of the Maynard-Gough Company].
2. "The Black Tavern Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. Retrieved 2025-07-19.