Landlord Fowler Tavern - Westfield, MA - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

The Landlord Fowler Tavern is an excellent example of a Georgian Colonial building. This three storey, clapboard sided, structure has a gambrel roof with three gabled dormers in the front, a central chimney and a frieze of dentals along the main cornice. The front is symmetrical with two windows on each side of the central doorway and five windows on the second floor. The side windows are not symmetrically placed. There are three windows on the first and second floors and a pair of windows on the third floor below a single attic window. The original doorway was removed by Wallace Nutting in 1920 and placed in the Early American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. A replica of the original doorway features a Connecticut Valley broken scroll style pediment with Corinthian pilasters.

Landlord Fowler Tavern is of historical significance. Daniel Fowler was licensed to operate the tavern in 1761. In 1775 and 1776, he was a member of the Committee of Correspondence, Inspection, and Safety. The Committee met there and the military was mustered there as well. General Burgoyne, while being brought to Boston as a prisoner of war after his defeat at Saratoga, stayed at the inn. Hessian commander General Friedrich von Riesdesel was another Revolutionary War prisoner of war who stayed over at the tavern. When the Revolutionary War ended in 1783, residents celebrated by building building bonfires in front of the inn and roasting sheep.

From 1761 until approximately 1830, the Landlord Fowler Tavern lodged travelers along the Post Road. From 1830 to 1885 and from 1916 to the present the building served as a private residence. Between 1885 and 1916 H. C. Schaeffer bought the property and ran a cigar making business.

Street address: 171 Main Street Westfield, MA United States 01085 County / Borough / Parish: Hampden Year listed: 1982 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering Periods of significance: 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

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Date Logged Log User Rating   06/01/2014 nomadwillie visited it