Whitney Tavern - Gardner, MA
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member nomadwillie
N 42° 33.812 W 072° 01.612
18T E 744053 N 4716632
Whitney Tavern construction c. 1782, in 1790 a full Federal-style house was added onto the west side, onto which another ell was added in 1835.
Waymark Code: WM17B4H
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 01/17/2023
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member Outspoken1
Views: 0

The former Whitney Tavern stands on the north side of Patriots Road east of the village center of East Templeton, on a large 37-acre (15 ha) parcel that extends north to Gardner Road. Now largely exhibiting Greek Revival features, the rambling structure has had a long history of alteration. After its construction c. 1782, in 1790 a full Federal-style house was added onto the west side, onto which another ell was added in 1835. In 1848 the westernmost portion of the house was separated and moved down the street.

The tavern changed hands from the Tucker family to Jonathan Greenwood Sr. William Whitney wed Greenwood's daughter, Sybil, in 1814 and they took over running the tavern. Sybil died in 1817, and the property was deeded to William Whitney, whose family continued to operate the tavern until the 1850s. Lucas Baker (b 1828) married Sibbel Georgianna "Georgie" Whitney (b 1823, William Whitney's daughter from his second marriage, to Dulcenah Turner) in 1857. In the 20th century the property was in the possession of their son, Lucas Lee Baker (b 1859), who periodically permitted traveling gypsy shows to use the property as a campground. The property remains in the hands of Whitney-Baker descendants to this day. The property includes the archaeological remnants of hop kilns used in the manufacture of beer for the tavern.

Source: (visit link)
Street address:
11 Patriots Rd
Templeton and Gardner, MA


County / Borough / Parish: Worcester

Year listed: 1996

Historic (Areas of) Significance: Person, Event, Architecture/Engineering

Periods of significance: 1925-1949, 1900-1924, 1875-1899, 1850-1874, 1825-1849, 1800-1824, 1750-1799

Historic function: Commerce/Trade, Domestic

Current function: Domestic

Privately owned?: yes

Primary Web Site: [Web Link]

Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]

Season start / Season finish: Not listed

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.
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