The Wayside Inn
72 Wayside Inn Rd.
Sudbury, Ma. 01776
The
Wayside Inn and Tavern has been in existence since 1716 when David Howe first opened his home to travelers. Located on the old Boston Post Road the Inn was ideally located for farmers bringing their livestock and produce to market and to travelers from Connecticut, New York and other points south.
In the period just before the American Revolution the proprietor of the Inn was Ezekiel Howe, a Lt. Colonel in the
Sudbury militia. The Howe Tavern, as it was known then, was a popular gathering spot for the local militia as talk of insurrection spread throughout Massachusetts. On the morning of 19 April 1775, in response to a call out to arms, Col. Howe led the
Sudbury militia to Concord Bridge to fight the British Regulars. The present-day
Sudbury Militia recreates this in a
pre-dawn march through
Sudbury and Wayland every year on April 19. The recreated
Sudbury Militia holds its monthly meetings at the Wayside Inn. The metal tankards of its retired Colonels can be found hanging from the rafters in the Inn's taproom.
George Washington passed by the old Inn in June of 1775 as he made his way to Cambridge to accept command of the new Continental Army. A slate marker just in front of the Wayside Inn commemorates this event.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the Cambridge poet and professor at Harvard College, wrote a series of poems set in the Inn. The poems, called "
Tales of a Wayside Inn", consisted of a series of stories spun by fictional characters at a
Sudbury Inn where "
The Red Horse prances on the sign." The Inn formerly know as Howe's Tavern became the Wayside Inn in recognition of Longfellow's poem.
With the advent of the stage coach as a regular means of travel the Inn again became an important way-station between Worcester and Boston. But in the early 1900's as the automobile became more and more popular, an historic Inn like the Wayside was easily bypassed by travelers who were able to make much better time on the road with the new "horseless
carriages".
Ironically it was Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Motor Company, who gave the Inn new life when he acquired the property. Fords plans to create a "living history" community never came to fruition but he
established the charter under which the Inn operates today. He also was responsible for moving the old school house and the chapel onto the property and had the grist mill built. The mill still is in operation today and has a miller
on site.
The British Union flag flying at the entrance is part of another old tradition at the Wayside. The British flag
is flown daily until the 19
th of April of every year when a new revolutionary (American) flag is flown.
Visitors to the Wayside Inn on "Patriot's Day" have been known to meet up with "William Dawes" (actually a
re-enactor) who stopped in for a pint after his exertions of alerting the citizens
throughout the countryside to the fact that the "Regulars were out".
The Wayside Inn is located just off Boston Post Road (Rt. 20) in
Sudbury on its own private road. The Inn is still operated as a non-profit enterprise with an educational purpose. The Inn welcomes overnight guests as well as those who enjoy the Wayside's restaurant, which serves excellent New England style fare, its gift shop, the tap room and its historic ambiance.
This Saturday, October 30, 2010, the last major Revolutionary War reenactment in New England will take place in Sudbury, Mass. Billed as "The Battle of the Red Horse Tavern", reenactors from all over the region portraying American, British and French soldiers from America's War for Independence will engage in two different battle scenarios for the public on the ample grounds of Longfellow's Wayside Inn.
Located on the Old Boston Post Road "Howes Tavern" was well situated to receive drovers and other travelers on the road between Worcester and Boston. Established by David Howe in 1716, the tavern and inn remained open and in the family until 1861. David's son, Ezekiel, a Lt. Colonel in the Sudbury militia, first inherited the inn and increased its prosperity. It was Ezekiel Howe who led the men of Sudbury on their march to the North bridge in Concord on April 19, 1775.