Ames Tavern

Ames Tavern was a colonial-era public house in Dedham, Massachusetts, whose history began in 1649 when Joshua Fisher opened Fisher's Tavern in Dedham Square. The establishment occupied a strategically important location at the corner of present-day Ames and High Streets, close to the landing area associated with Dedham's first settlers. In an era when long-distance travel was slow and formal hospitality infrastructure was limited, the tavern served as a place for lodging, food, drink, social exchange, and civic activity. Fisher operated the business partly from his home and maintained a separate brewing and drinking space. He produced malt liquor himself, and the colonial authorities granted him permission to serve wine and other strong alcoholic drinks. Because Dedham was distant from Boston, the General Court also exempted the town from a tax on wine in connection with the tavern's operation. The privilege came with strict controls: intoxicated patrons could be fined, and the establishment was required to close while church services were taking place. These rules illustrate the combination of commercial regulation, public-order concerns, and religious discipline surrounding colonial taverns. The tavern remained in the Fisher family for several generations. After Joshua Fisher's death in 1730, the property became the subject of a complicated inheritance dispute involving his widow, his daughters, their husbands, and Nathaniel Ames. Ames had moved to Dedham in 1732 and married Fisher's daughter Mary in 1735. Following Mary's death and the death of their infant son, Fisher Ames, Nathaniel asserted that provincial inheritance law allowed the property rights to pass upward through the family line. He ultimately prevailed after several rounds of litigation, including proceedings in the colonial Superior Court of Judicature, although the conflict produced continuing hostility among the parties. Under Nathaniel Ames, the tavern became associated with one of Dedham's most colorful local rivalries. Benjamin Gay established a competing tavern in 1749, and Ames used the Ames Almanack to criticize rumors circulated about Gay's business. The establishment also hosted notable visitors and local gatherings. Benjamin Franklin stayed there in October 1763, while Thomas Jefferson had breakfast at the tavern in June 1784 during his tour of the northern states. The tavern was also used by mourners after the 1775 funeral of Faith Huntington. Following Nathaniel Ames's death in 1764, his widow Deborah continued operating the establishment with assistance from several sons. After she married Richard Woodward in 1772, the tavern became known as Woodward Tavern. During this period, the building was the meeting place for the convention that adopted the Suffolk Resolves, an important pre-Revolutionary political action associated with resistance to British policy. The marriage between Deborah and Richard Woodward later ended in divorce, but the tavern continued under the Woodward name for part of its final period. The building was a substantial two-story, peaked-roof structure with a large barn, low rooms, small windows, and a prominent great room containing a fieldstone fireplace. Its setting included open ground extending toward the Charles River. After Deborah Woodward died in 1817, the tavern was demolished. Ames Tavern is therefore best understood not as a continuing hospitality brand but as a historically documented colonial public house whose successive names reflect changes in family ownership and management.

Ames Tavern began in 1649, when Joshua Fisher opened a public house in Dedham after the departure of another local tavern keeper left the settlement without a licensed provider of hospitality. Fisher's establishment stood in what is now Dedham Square, near the corner of Ames and High Streets. The location was close to the area traditionally associated with the first settlers' landing and was well placed to serve residents and travelers. Fisher brewed malt liquor at the premises and arranged the business around both his house and a separate brew house. Colonial authorities authorized the sale of strong alcoholic drinks and provided Dedham with relief from a wine tax because of its distance from Boston. Regulation was nevertheless strict. A patron who became intoxicated could be fined, and the tavern had to close during church services. The business was inherited by Fisher's son and later by his grandson, and the premises were improved with additional furnishing, storage closets, brickwork, and a modest raising of the old structure. The most consequential ownership episode followed Joshua Fisher's death in 1730. His widow, Hannah, held a life interest, while residual claims belonged to their daughters. Nathaniel Ames moved into the tavern in 1732 and married their daughter Mary Fisher in 1735. Mary died shortly after giving birth to Fisher Ames, who also died as an infant. Nathaniel later relied on a provincial inheritance statute enacted in 1692, arguing that property could pass upward through a family line rather than only downward under common law. His claim was opposed by Mary's sisters and their husbands. The dispute went through multiple colonial courts. Although Ames initially obtained a favorable ruling, Benjamin Gay, one of the opposing relatives, took physical possession of the property. Ames pursued eviction proceedings and lost in lower proceedings and on an early appeal. He eventually secured a hearing before the full Superior Court of Judicature and won by a vote of five to two. Dissatisfied that the judgment was not unanimous, Ames displayed a satirical sign portraying the dissenting judges. When officials attempted to seize it, he replaced it with a biblical citation intended to mock the judges' interest in the sign. Ames's tenure also coincided with competition from Benjamin Gay's Tavern, founded in 1749. The rivalry was commercial and personal, with Ames using the Ames Almanack to counter stories allegedly spread about Gay's establishment. Despite the rivalry, Ames Tavern attracted prominent visitors. Benjamin Franklin lodged there on October 12, 1763, and Thomas Jefferson ate breakfast there on June 18, 1784, while traveling through the northern states before going to Europe as a diplomatic representative. The tavern also served as a gathering place after Faith Huntington's 1775 funeral. Nathaniel Ames died in 1764. His widow, Deborah, continued the operation with help from her sons. Her marriage to Richard Woodward in 1772 gave the tavern a new public identity: Woodward Tavern. The building had political significance during the revolutionary crisis because the convention that adopted the Suffolk Resolves met there and began its work. Deborah and Richard's marriage ended in divorce by 1784, but the property retained its association with the Woodward name for a time. The tavern's physical form reflected an early New England public house. It was a roomy, two-story, peaked-roof building with a large great room and fieldstone fireplace. Accounts describe low rooms, small windows, a slightly sunken lower floor, a large barn, and open land extending toward the Charles River. Deborah died in 1817, and the building was subsequently torn down. No continuing commercial operation or surviving corporate successor is documented.

• 1817

  Deborah Woodward dies and the building is demolished

  [1]Ames Tavernen.wikipedia.org

  Following Deborah's death, the historic tavern building was torn down.

• 1784

  Thomas Jefferson visits

  [1]Ames Tavernen.wikipedia.org

  Thomas Jefferson ate breakfast at the tavern while touring the northern states before departing for Europe.

• 1774

  Suffolk Resolves convention meets at the tavern

  [1]Ames Tavernen.wikipedia.org

  The convention that adopted the Suffolk Resolves met at the public house and began its work there.

• 1772

  Tavern becomes Woodward Tavern

  [1]Ames Tavernen.wikipedia.org

  After Deborah Ames married Richard Woodward, the establishment was commonly known by the Woodward name.

• 1764

  Nathaniel Ames dies

  [1]Ames Tavernen.wikipedia.org

  Deborah Ames assumed responsibility for the tavern with assistance from several of her sons.

• 1763

  Benjamin Franklin visits

  [1]Ames Tavernen.wikipedia.org

  Benjamin Franklin stayed at the tavern on October 12.

• 1749

  Benjamin Gay establishes a rival tavern

  [1]Ames Tavernen.wikipedia.org

  A competing Dedham tavern intensified the commercial and personal rivalry between Gay and Ames.

• 1732

  Nathaniel Ames moves into the tavern

  [1]Ames Tavernen.wikipedia.org

  Nathaniel Ames took up residence at the establishment and later became its principal proprietor after successfully pursuing his inheritance claim.

• 1730

  Inheritance dispute begins

  [1]Ames Tavernen.wikipedia.org

  Joshua Fisher's death triggered a dispute over the tavern's ownership among his widow, daughters, their husbands, and Nathaniel Ames.

• 1649

  Fisher's Tavern opens

  [1]Ames Tavernen.wikipedia.org

  Joshua Fisher established a tavern in Dedham Square after the town was left without a tavern keeper.

• 1649

  Colonial operating privileges granted

  [1]Ames Tavernen.wikipedia.org

  The General Court permitted Fisher to serve strong drinks and exempted Dedham from a wine tax, while imposing conduct and closing-hour restrictions.

A locally important colonial public house serving travelers, residents, civic groups, and political visitors in Dedham.

• Beverage · 1649

  House-brewed malt liquor

  Joshua Fisher brewed malt liquor at the premises, making the tavern both a hospitality venue and a small-scale colonial beverage producer. The available historical account does not identify a specific recipe, brand name, or surviving product formulation.

• Alcoholic beverages · 1649

  Wine and strong waters

  Colonial authorities authorized the tavern to serve wine and other strong alcoholic drinks. Service was regulated, including penalties for drunkenness and required closure during church services.

• Food service

  Tavern meals and breakfast

  The establishment provided food as part of its public-house function. Thomas Jefferson is specifically recorded as having eaten breakfast there in 1784, although detailed menus and recipes are not documented in the supplied sources.

• Hospitality · 1649

  Lodging and traveler hospitality

  As a colonial tavern, the premises offered hospitality to travelers and visitors in addition to drink and food. Benjamin Franklin's recorded stay demonstrates its role as a lodging stop, though the number and arrangement of guest rooms are not specified.

• 1772

  Rebranding as Woodward TavernStrategy

  Background

  After Nathaniel Ames's death, Deborah Ames continued operating the tavern and later married Richard Woodward.

  Action taken

  The establishment adopted the Woodward Tavern name during the couple's period of ownership and management.

  Aftermath

  The new name became associated with the tavern during its later colonial and revolutionary-era history, although the marriage ended in divorce by 1784.

  Source

• 1730

  Nathaniel Ames challenges the inheritance arrangementOther

  Background

  After Joshua Fisher's death, several relatives claimed rights to the profitable tavern under common-law inheritance principles. Ames argued that a 1692 provincial statute allowed the property interest to ascend through the family from his deceased wife and infant son.

  Action taken

  Ames pursued the claim through probate and colonial courts, eventually obtaining a favorable five-to-two judgment from the full Superior Court of Judicature.

  Aftermath

  The judgment secured Ames's control of the tavern but left him resentful of the two dissenting judges and contributed to a highly contentious ownership history.

  Source

1. 1Ames Tavernen.wikipedia.org