Black Tavern - Dudley, MA
Posted by: 
NorStar
N 42° 02.754 W 071° 55.791
19T E 257520 N 4659026
The Black Tavern, now a historical society museum, was an inn that provided food, drink and entertainment in the Dudley countryside.
Waymark Code: WM8QAK
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 05/02/2010
Views: 3
In Dudley, there is an historical society museum that was once the Black Tavern. The building is a white clapboard covered structure with a porch and a stable or barn on the north side. This building was once a tavern and inn for people traveling through to stop and enjoy a meal or to stay for the night.
The structure was built in 1804 and by Hezekiah Healy and operated as Healy's Inn. It became known as the Black Tavern due to the fact that Healy noted that black paint lasted the longest and painted the entire building black. The inn was located along the Boston-Hartford stagecoach route. Hezekiah, died suddenly in 1817. His wife, Becca, had run it for another five years, then it became exclusively the family home. From then on, the building remained under family ownership. The building underwent little change over the years, and, thus, preserved much of its original 1804 appearance.
In 1983, the Black Tavern Historical Society was established to preserve the tavern and keep it from being demolished. Today, the building is used as a modest museum for the town of Dudley and has many items about the mills that operated in town, as well as Civil War items and other items about the people who lived in the town. There are no regular operating hours. Check the web site for the annual schedule of events.
Street address:
P.O. Box 143
Dudley, MA United States of America
01571
County / Borough / Parish: Worcester
Year listed: 1985
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering, Event
Periods of significance: 1800-1824, 1825-1849, 1850-1874, 1875-1899
Historic function: Commerce/Trade, Domestic, Government
Current function: Vacant/Not In Use, Work In Progress
Privately owned?: yes
Season start / Season finish: From: 01/01/2010 To: 12/31/2010
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]
Hours of operation: Not listed
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.