The Revolutionary Tavern

The Revolutionary Tavern is a Massachusetts historical marker in Shirley, Middlesex County, dedicated 1930.

Route 2 and Barrett Hill, Shirley · location approximate

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Built before 1747 and kept from 1758 to 1790 by Obadiah Sawtell, "the old landlord." He was a delegate to the Provincial Congress. Here the men gathered at the alarm on April 19, 1775.

1930 text, presented as a historical document.

Maps this old were drawn largely by eye, so places on them can sit miles from where they really are. The pin is ours and marks the marker's location today.

TodayHistorical map

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

Historical maps covering this location

1746 · A Map of the British Empire in America. (Sheet 7). (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1775 · The seat of war in New England, by an American volunteer (Digital Commonwealth, Boston Public Library)
1776 · A map of the most inhabited part of New England, containing the provinces of Massachusets… (Digital Commonwealth, Boston Public Library)
1795 · State of Massachusetts. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1891 · Massachusetts. Atlas Plate No. 18. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

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What that marker records spans 1777 to 1789, overlapping William Gabby's years there.

From one family's 77-marker roster

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The marker isn't at this spotOur pin may be off. If you know where it stands, tell us.I couldn't find the markerWe record what the source recorded. We have not been to look.The sign reads differentlyExpected here. This page shows the older published text, and some signs were recast later. Telling us still helps.The historical map looks wrongThe period map behind the pin, not the marker itself.Something else

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Marker data: Massachusetts Bay Colony Tercentenary Commission, 1930 (Commonwealth of Massachusetts)

The Revolutionary Tavern

Historical maps covering this location

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