Concord's Colonial Inn (also known as Colonial Inn) is a historic inn in Concord, Massachusetts. Its original structure, still in use, was built in 1716."Concord At Christmas", New York Times, December 5, 1982Registering the Past The Colonial Inn, a Hospitality Landmark, Renee Garrelick (1993) It became a hotel in 1889.History – Concord's Colonial InnConcord's Colonial Inn – Historic Hotels of America
The inn is included in the National Register of Historic Places as part of the listed Concord Monument Square–Lexington Road Historic District.Built to Last: 100+ Year-Old Hotels East of the Mississippi, Stanley Turkel (2013), p. 104 It overlooks Monument Square on the square's northwestern side, and is one of the oldest properties listed on the Register.Built to Last: 100+ Year-Old Hotels East of the Mississippi, Stanley Turkel (2013), p. 102
The inn was given its current name in 1900 after being known as The Colonial House (or The Colonial) for three years, and has been a member of Historic Hotels of America since 2005.
The building was formerly three separate constructions, combined into one in 1897. The central section is today's main inn, and it was used as an ammunitions store during the Revolutionary War; the Village Forge Tavern room was used as a storeroom for supplies.
Original properties Three of Concord's historic houses, formerly distinct from one another, were joined to form the current structure in 1897.Literary Trips: Following in the Footsteps of Fame, Volume 2, Victoria Brooks (2000)
Thoreau House The eastern section was built in 1716 by Colonel James Minot, grandfather of cabinetmaker Ammi White who lived there."History of the Wayside and Colonial inns" – The Boston Globe, October 23, 2015 The Whites sold the house in 1799 to John Thoreau, maternal grandfather of Henry David Thoreau. John died in 1801, but the property remained the home of his son John Jr. (1787–1859) and his wife Cynthia Dunbar (1787–1872).The History of Concord, Massachusetts, Vol. I, Colonial Concord, Volume 1, Alfred Sereno Hudson (1904), p. 311 It became known as the Thoreau House in 1889, when this and the central building were purchased at auction by John Maynard KeyesKEYES FAMILY CORRESPONDENCE, 1837-1851, Vault, A45, Keyes, Unit 6 – Concord Library and used as a boarding house and a small hotel.
Main building In 1775,Colonial America and the American Revolution, Clint Johnson (2006) during the Revolutionary War, the central section of the structure stored arms and provisions for the Concord minutemen.
The White House The western section was the home of Deacon John White and his wife Esther Kettell. White would detain those people who travelled on the adjacent Lowell Road on the Sabbath.Concord; a Pilgrimage to the Historic and Literary Center of America, Perry Walton, 1922, p. 15
John Keyes purchased this building in 1897 and combined it with the other two, reopening as The Colonial.
History
Many inhabitants of Concord made the inn their winter home in the first half of the 20th century.Concord; a Pilgrimage to the Historic and Literary Center of America, Perry Walton, 1922, p. 16 Around that time, the proprietor was William R. Rand.
In 1960, the inn underwent a large expansion with the addition of the Prescott Wing (named for Revolutionary figure William Prescott), which doubled the number of rooms to 32. A dining room called Merchants Row was added in 1970, the name being a reference to John Thoreau, who was a merchant in Boston.Merchants Row at the Colonial Inn – Concord's Colonial Inn The inn has a second restaurant, The Liberty, which also includes Forge Tavern.Liberty at the Colonial Inn – Concord's Colonial Inn
German hotelier Jurgen Demisch purchased the hotel in 1988. He owned it for 27 years,"Colonial Inn to change hands" – Wicked Local Concord, July 21, 2015 selling it to Michael and Dorothy Harrington in 2015, a year before the original building's 300th anniversary.
Notable visitors In 1775, British spy John Howe is believed to have stayed at the inn. He was under orders from General Thomas Gage to examine the "roads, bridge, and fording places" to ascertain the best route for an army to take between Boston and Worcester "to destroy military stores deposited there." He returned via Concord, where he states that he was introduced to Major John Buttrick and others and was invited to dine with them at the tavern. His diary was published in Concord, New Hampshire, in 1827, in which he records the visit:The History of Concord, Massachusetts, Vol. I, Colonial Concord, Volume 1, Alfred Sereno Hudson (1904), p. 312
The authenticity of this source has been questioned.
Henry David Thoreau lived at the inn with his aunts between 1835 and 1837 while he studied at Harvard University. In 1972, Jacqueline Kennedy rented rooms at the inn when she visited her daughter Caroline, who was studying at Concord Academy.American Legacy: The Story of John and Caroline Kennedy, C. David Heymann (2007), p. 185
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