Wayside Inn
Encyclopedia
The Wayside Inn is an historic landmark inn located in Sudbury, Massachusetts
, in the USA. The inn is still in operation, offering a restaurant, historically accurate guest rooms, and hosting for small receptions. It is reputedly the oldest operating inn in the country, opening as Howe's Tavern in 1716. The inn's archive has documents from 1686 onward, including the official inn license granted to the first innkeeper, David Howe, in 1716. Lydia Howe, a granddaughter, was born in the Inn.
's Tales of a Wayside Inn
, a book of poems published in 1863. Longfellow visited the Wayside Inn in 1862, when it was called the How Tavern. In Tales of a Wayside Inn, the poem The Landlord's Tale was the source of the immortal phrase "listen my children and you shall hear, of the midnight ride of Paul Revere
."
Henry Ford
built a replica and fully working grist mill and a white non-denominational church, named after his mother, Mary, and mother in law, Martha. Lesser known is Ford's attempt to create a reservoir for the Wayside Inn. Across US Rte. 20 and now secluded in a wooded area behind private homes is a 30 ft. high stone dam. Dubbed by the locals as "Ford's Folly" the structure failed at its task because the feeding brook provided insufficient volume and the ground was too porous to allow for a pond to grow behind the stone structure.
In the grounds of the church stands a one-room schoolhouse that was moved there from its original location in Sterling, Massachusetts
, by Henry Ford
, who believed the building was the actual schoolhouse mentioned in Sarah Josepha Hale
's poem "Mary Had a Little Lamb", though little historical evidence exists to support his belief.
Current Innkeeper John Cowden, Jr. and his staff have purchased and renovated the (now-named) Wayside Carriage House Inn in Sudbury, Massachusetts
. It is less than one mile from the original Wayside Inn, and it features 46 guest rooms, two spas, a fitness center, a function room, a full service bar, complimentary continental breakfast, and a shuttle to bring guests to Longfellow's Wayside Inn. Cowden will serve as Innkeeper for both establishments.
was the last private owner of the Wayside Inn. He purchased it in 1923, from Cora Lemon, and he also purchased 3,000 acres (12 km²) of land surrounding the Inn, with the aim of developing it into a historically oriented village and museum. Although his original aims were not accomplished at the Wayside, he did establish the non-profit institution that operates the Inn and associated museum, watermill
, and archives today. He ultimately fulfilled on his desires to create such a museum at Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan
.
Sudbury, Massachusetts
Sudbury is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, population 17,659. The town was incorporated in 1639, with the original boundaries including what is now Wayland. Wayland split from Sudbury in 1780. When first incorporated, it included and parts of Framingham, Marlborough, Stow...
, in the USA. The inn is still in operation, offering a restaurant, historically accurate guest rooms, and hosting for small receptions. It is reputedly the oldest operating inn in the country, opening as Howe's Tavern in 1716. The inn's archive has documents from 1686 onward, including the official inn license granted to the first innkeeper, David Howe, in 1716. Lydia Howe, a granddaughter, was born in the Inn.
History
The inn is also known as Longfellow's Wayside Inn, a name given to the inn to capitalize on the popularity of Henry Wadsworth LongfellowHenry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline...
's Tales of a Wayside Inn
Tales of a Wayside Inn
Tales of a Wayside Inn is a collection of poems by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.-Overview:The poems in the collection are told by a group of adults in the tavern of the Wayside Inn in Sudbury, Massachusetts, 20 miles from Cambridge, and a favorite resort for parties from Harvard College...
, a book of poems published in 1863. Longfellow visited the Wayside Inn in 1862, when it was called the How Tavern. In Tales of a Wayside Inn, the poem The Landlord's Tale was the source of the immortal phrase "listen my children and you shall hear, of the midnight ride of Paul Revere
Paul Revere
Paul Revere was an American silversmith and a patriot in the American Revolution. He is most famous for alerting Colonial militia of approaching British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord, as dramatized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, Paul Revere's Ride...
."
Henry Ford
Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...
built a replica and fully working grist mill and a white non-denominational church, named after his mother, Mary, and mother in law, Martha. Lesser known is Ford's attempt to create a reservoir for the Wayside Inn. Across US Rte. 20 and now secluded in a wooded area behind private homes is a 30 ft. high stone dam. Dubbed by the locals as "Ford's Folly" the structure failed at its task because the feeding brook provided insufficient volume and the ground was too porous to allow for a pond to grow behind the stone structure.
In the grounds of the church stands a one-room schoolhouse that was moved there from its original location in Sterling, Massachusetts
Sterling, Massachusetts
Sterling is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, USA. The population was 7,808 at the 2010 census.- History :Sterling was first settled by Europeans in 1720 and was officially incorporated in 1781....
, by Henry Ford
Henry Ford
Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...
, who believed the building was the actual schoolhouse mentioned in Sarah Josepha Hale
Sarah Josepha Hale
Sarah Josepha Buell Hale was an American writer and an influential editor. She is the author of the nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb"...
's poem "Mary Had a Little Lamb", though little historical evidence exists to support his belief.
Current Innkeeper John Cowden, Jr. and his staff have purchased and renovated the (now-named) Wayside Carriage House Inn in Sudbury, Massachusetts
Sudbury, Massachusetts
Sudbury is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, population 17,659. The town was incorporated in 1639, with the original boundaries including what is now Wayland. Wayland split from Sudbury in 1780. When first incorporated, it included and parts of Framingham, Marlborough, Stow...
. It is less than one mile from the original Wayside Inn, and it features 46 guest rooms, two spas, a fitness center, a function room, a full service bar, complimentary continental breakfast, and a shuttle to bring guests to Longfellow's Wayside Inn. Cowden will serve as Innkeeper for both establishments.
Establishment as a Museum
Henry FordHenry Ford
Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...
was the last private owner of the Wayside Inn. He purchased it in 1923, from Cora Lemon, and he also purchased 3,000 acres (12 km²) of land surrounding the Inn, with the aim of developing it into a historically oriented village and museum. Although his original aims were not accomplished at the Wayside, he did establish the non-profit institution that operates the Inn and associated museum, watermill
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
, and archives today. He ultimately fulfilled on his desires to create such a museum at Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan
Dearborn, Michigan
-Economy:Ford Motor Company has its world headquarters in Dearborn. In addition its Dearborn campus contains many research, testing, finance and some production facilities. Ford Land controls the numerous properties owned by Ford including sales and leasing to unrelated businesses such as the...
.