BUCKMAN TAVERN Tour Outline (for minute tour)

Transcription

1 Buckman Tavern 1 BUCKMAN TAVERN Tour Outline (for minute tour) [Below is a suggested outline for the tour at Buckman Tavern available for Lexington Historical Society guides. The outline below is for training purposes only.] POST OFFICE (orientation/welcome room) - Take visitor s tickets and have them sign guest book - Welcome visitors to Buckman Tavern o 1 of 3 historic buildings owned by the Lexington Historical Society. LHS is a private non-profit organization. - Remind visitors of the museum rules o No touching, no photographs or video, no food or drink, cell phones off, stay with the group on tour *Direct visitors in to TAP ROOM and make sure to close the door behind you* TAP ROOM (introduction and start of tour) 1. Significance of tavern April 18-19, 1775; 2. Function of tap/bar room / importance of taverns to locals.; 3. Interactive portion with Musket (or clay pipe) 1) Significance of tavern on night of April 18, 1775 a. (Doolittle Print-may use laminate or blowup in P.O.): represents accurate rendering of town Green and event of April 19 th, 1775 i. Amos Doolittle (an artist/engraver) visited Lexington and Concord a few weeks after April 19, talked to eyewitnesses and heard depositions and produced 4 prints to document the morning s events (4 prints for sale in gift shop; only looking at 1 st one) ii. Meeting House: both church and town hall 1. civic gathering place 2. in Lexington also stored extra gunpowder and supplies iii. Tavern: social gathering place b. Unofficial gathering place of Captain John Parker s militia i. Town is very worried about the safety of two important patriots staying at the parsonage (Hancock-Clarke house), John Hancock and Sam Adams; after learning from midnight riders (Paul Revere and William Dawes) of increased Redcoat troop movement ii. Redcoats destination is Concord, where they learned the colonists had stockpiled and hidden arms and ammunition; however, their increased movement along road from Boston worries the Lexington townspeople iii. Parker calls men to arms on Green, but when he does not hear any further info about the Redcoats, he dismisses the men and tells them to remain within earshot. At this point, many of the men retire to BT to wait, thus making BT the unofficial gathering place of the militia 2) Function of tap/bar room / importance of taverns to locals

2 Buckman Tavern 2 a. John Buckman, the landlord, would have been kept very busy the night of April 18, 1775 and early morning of April 19; open well past closing time i. Tap room, or barroom as it was known in the 18 th century, is gathering place for men and the tavern itself is the social gathering place of the town ii. Taverns are becoming the places of political discussions and tap room in Lexington (a very actively Patriot town) would have constantly been buzzing with debate and discussion iii. Notices posted in the tavern: information central 1. No organized postal service, so letters and notices collect at tavern for families to pick up iv. Food and drink served, pipes smoked (flip, chalkboard tally, pipes in wall) 3) Interactive Piece: Musket or clay pipe a. Trained guides may let visitors handle reproduction musket b. Good time to continue Battle story and describe militia c. Guides may pass around clay pipe as an alternative to the musket (Other points of interest: Chalkboard tally behind bar, White Pine Act to discuss floorboards, Flip recipe) *Direct visitors in to KITCHEN* KITCHEN *guide positioned in doorway to Landlord s Bedroom* 1. A drovers tavern; 2. Busy activities of tavern kitchen; 3. Dr. Fisk s bill 1) Drovers tavern a. Drover = farmer who drives animal to market b. Driving animals in to Boston to market, travel on foot and horseback is slow so needed to rest and stay somewhere i. Drover (men) stay upstairs in bedrooms; often many to a room and bed ii. Outbuildings for the drovers many pigs, cattle, sheep, etc. iii. Served a hot meal 2) Busy activities of tavern kitchen a. A drover tavern kitchen would constantly be busy making meals for drovers and drop in guests b. Night of April 18 would have been very busy also c. Fires are always going in the fireplaces and something (stew, etc.) always cooking d. Mrs. Buckman and any children around would be helping in the kitchen 3) Dr. Fisk s Bill (interactive piece) a. Interactive: have a visitor volunteer to read the bill, then guide explains: i. Dr. Joseph Fisk is local Lexington doctor who attended to wounded men on Green

3 Buckman Tavern 3 ii. Bill is for Province of Massachusetts for attending to wounds of several Redcoat soldiers ( King s Men ) here at BT 1. (be aware that there is a gravesite in Old Burying Ground behind First Parish Church for an unnamed Redcoat soldier who allegedly died here at BT) *Stand in front of fireplace and direct visitors in to the LANDLORD S BEDROOM* LANDLORD S BEDROOM *guide positioned in front of window between bureau and bed* 1. Story of John Buckman Jr.; 2. Discuss Lexington residents as all farmers; 3) sleeping arrangements in 18 th century (if there is time) 1) John Buckman Jr. and his family (point out JB portrait) a. Became 2 nd tavern landlord in 1768 after marrying Ruth Stone (Ruth was John Muzzey, the 1 st landlord s, granddaughter) i. Note: John Buckman Jr. and his father, John Buckman Sr. formerly owned Munroe Tavern and after John Buckman Sr. dies, John Buckman Jr. sells it to William Munroe and he marries Ruth Stone and becomes landlord of Buckman Tavern 1. (chance to link to and promote Munroe Tavern) b. Only 23 years old, but becomes great landlord and acquires full possession of the property after only 6 years c. Member of Capt. Parker s Company in 1775 d. John Buckman Jr. is the tavern owner/landlord in 1775, his wife is Ruth Stone i. Have one child in 1771, but it dies in infancy, and have no other children ii. Ruth Stone dies in 1778 e. JB Sells tavern in 1784 for 1240 to his brother-in-law, Joseph Simonds, and marries Sarah Weld (he and Sarah would eventually have 4 children) i. Note: look at genealogy to see that ownership of BT passes through women 2) All Lexington residents are farmers a. All residents are farmers. At the time this is the countryside (far from Boston considering travel modes in the day) and was a farming community b. John Buckman s 2nd profession is tavern landlord, while, for example, Captain John Parker s 2nd profession is wheelwright c. Since the Buckmans (John and Ruth) had no children they might have borrowed neighborhood or relative children to help on the farm i. John and Ruth Buckman would have clothed and fed the children as if they were their own 3) 18 th century sleeping arrangements (only discuss this if there is time, focus on Buckman Family) a. John and Ruth Buckman and any children would have all slept in this room.

4 Buckman Tavern 4 i. More than 1 child on the trundle; sleep together ii. Fireplace was added in 19 th century; when John and Ruth are here, room would have been kept warm by the adjoining large kitchen fireplace b. Rope beds i. Sleep tight = sleep snug, not tightening the bed ropes (see Sturbridge Village article), but would have had to tighten the ropes to keep the bed comfortable c. Interactive: Show bed key and model rope bed, have visitor try and figure out how it would work *Direct visitors in to LADIES PARLOR* LADIES PARLOR *guide positioned in between fireplace and doorway to Front Hall* 1. More elegant tavern room for important guests and any women in the tavern; 2. Lexington s nooning room; 3. Lexington s tea party and political feelings of women 1) More elegant tavern room for important guests and any women a. Taverns needed a room for important guests, and any women to gather b. This room would have been the gathering place for any women in the tavern, as they were not allowed to be in the tap/barroom c. Also a room for important guests (men and women) to gather away from the more casual tap room i. Note elegant furniture and parlor-style décor ii. Note: This was and is the ladies parlor. When the house was owned privately in the 19 th century, it was redecorated and some things reflect that, however, the furnishings are 18 th century 2) Lexington s nooning room a. Room also had important purpose on Sundays as the nooning room b. Every Lexington resident was required to attend church on Sunday i. In New England towns at this time, only 1 church, everyone was expected to belong and observe the Sabbath c. Church was all-day long, therefore every town needed a place for people to gather and have a lunch break d. Most of the time, as is the case in Lexington, a room in the nearby tavern would be the nooning room i. Women would gather here for the lunch break if they were too far away from their house ii. Bring a packed lunch iii. Women would also replenish their foot warmers with new coals (direct visitors attention to collection of foot warmers by fireplace; may pass around foot warmer with ribbon attached)

5 Buckman Tavern 5 3) Lexington s tea party and political feelings of women (spinning protest) a. Women using this room to discuss politics (as men were discussing in the tap room) b. No record of any loyalists living in Lexington c. 18 th century tea and coffee services on the table remind us of another way women were supporting the Patriot cause i. Everyone is boycotting British products and women are therefore gathering herbs to make their own herbal teas, drinking hot chocolate and coffee rather than the imported, heavily taxed English tea d. Evidence of a separate tea party held here in Lexington a few days before the Boston tea party i. Lexington residents brought their English tea to the common and held a bonfire to destroy it and emphasize boycott of products e. Also evidence of a spinning protest on the Green in 1769 i. Women spinning homespun cloth in protest to imported cloth 1. (chance to link to movie at Hancock-Clarke) f. Interactive: pass around sachets of herbal tea for visitors to smell *Direct visitors in to the FRONT HALL* (If group is too large to fit, describe the FRONT HALL in the LADIES PARLOR and ask visitors to notice what you have described as you lead the group through the FRONT HALL) FRONT HALL *guide positioned in doorway to Tap Room* 1. Front door with bullet hole; 2. Bull s eye glass; 3. Fire buckets; 4. William Simonds tavern sign 1) Front door with bullet hole a. John Buckman s original front door behind plexiglass on wall b. Bullet hole (on bottom right) possibly from a return fire by Redcoat (story is a Colonist was shooting from the safety of the tavern) c. Because BT was right on Green, it would have suffered bullet holes from the fighting 2) Bull s eye glass a. Above current front door b. Glass was blown into globe, then spun out and flattened and then cut off forming bull s eye 3) Fire buckets a. Every New England home had a set of two in their front doorway b. Most buildings made of wood and therefore fire was a common occurrence c. Residents/neighbors helped out if a fire happened i. Run to the fire with your buckets and become the fire fighters ii. Every neighbor expected to be there, buckets noted as a roll call (names on them) and some towns issued fines if you were not present 4) William Simond s tavern sign a. Beautiful sign from another part of town

6 Buckman Tavern 6 b. William Simond is Hannah Simond s brother c. Taverns are heavily regulated businesses and 1 requirement was to have a prominently displayed sign for visitors to locate tavern in town *Lead visitors back through Tap Room in to Post Office* Thank your visitors for visiting Lexington Historical Society s Buckman Tavern and encourage them to visit our other properties. If you have time, explain that this section was added later on by the Merriam family, and became Lexington s first Post Office and invite them to look at Mr. Merriam s desk. ~End~