Jameson Tavern

Jameson Tavern
The facade of the main building in 2022
Former names	Codman's Tavern
General information
Architectural style	Colonial
Location	Freeport, Maine, U.S.
Address	115 Main Street
Coordinates	43°51′30″N70°06′10″W / 43.85825°N 70.10271°W / 43.85825; -70.10271
Current tenants	Double Barrel Spirits, Visit Freeport
Completed	1779(246 years ago) (1779)
Closed	November 2024(2 months ago) (2024-11)
Owner	Dominic Petrillo
Technical details
Floor count	2
Floor area	Approx. 8,000 sq ft [1]

Jameson Tavern is a historic building on Main Street in Freeport, Maine, United States. It was completed in 1779, as a home for local physician Dr. John Anglier Hyde, a decade before the town was incorporated and when it was part of North Yarmouth, then in Massachusetts. ^[2] It stands across the side street Justin's Way from L.L.Bean's flagship store. ^[1]

It became an important meeting place during the discussions regarding the District of Maine's secession from Massachusetts in the early 19th century. It is believed representatives of the Joint Commission of Massachusetts and Maine met on the second floor of the building ("in its northeastern corner") in 1820 to sign the final papers giving Maine its independence, thus giving it the claim that it is the "birthplace of Maine." The Daughters of the American Revolution installed a plaque, describing these events, on the property in 1914. ^{[3] [4]} The Freeport Historical Society, meanwhile, has said it has found no record that the commissioners ever met in town. ^[1]

Poets Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and John Greenleaf Whittier, as well as United States president Franklin Pierce, are understood to have visited the tavern. ^[5]

The property was built by Dr. John Anglier Hyde, a local physician. (Hyde's daughter, Mary, married Ebenezer Wells, professor of obstetrics at the Medical School of Maine.) ^[6] Shortly after the home's completion, it was sold to Captain Samuel Jameson (1766–1814). ^[7] It was run as a tavern between 1801 and 1828, when Jameson's widow sold it. ^[3]

The tavern became Codman's Tavern, owned by Richard Codman, in 1828. He was the proprietor for 28 years, at which point it was purchased by John Cushing, a local shipbuilder. ^[8]

It later became known as Jameson Tavern once again, ^[9] albeit only in the building's rear wing; the main building is now a tourist-information office for visitors to the town. The tavern closed in 2013, ^[5] but later reopened. ^[1] It was put on the market in 2019. ^[1] In November 2024, the restaurant owner Tom Hincks announced its closure. ^[10]

As of 2023, Double Barrel, a specialty beer and wine store, occupies the Jameson Tavern's former formal dining room.

• 
  The main building, its rear wing, and barn in 1915
• 
  The southern end of the main building's first floor

References

1. Harry, David (2019-01-08). "Freeport landmark for sale for $1.3M (ghosts, suspect history and all)". Press Herald. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
2. Coolidge, Austin J.; John B. Mansfield (1859). A History and Description of New England. Boston, Massachusetts: A.J. Coolidge. p.  131. coolidge mansfield history description new england 1859.
3. Kenny, Kathy (2021). Historic Taverns and Tea Rooms of Maine. History Press. p. 33. ISBN   9781467148986.
4. Michelle (2017-08-24). "Step Back Into History At Maine's Oldest Standing Tavern". OnlyInYourState. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
5. "Freeport's historic Jameson Tavern abruptly closes". Bangor Daily News. 2013-02-18. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
6. Kelly, Howard Atwood (1912). American Medical Biographies, Volume 2. Norman, Remington Company. p. 490.
7. Down East, Volume 27, Issues 1-6. Down East Enterprise. 1980. p. 35.
8. Kenny, Kathy (2021). Historic Taverns and Tea Rooms of Maine. History Press. p. 34. ISBN   9781467148986.
9. "Home - Jameson Tavern". 2022-06-02. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
10. "Jameson Tavern in Freeport closing its doors after 245 years". 2024-11-21. Retrieved 2024-11-21.