Wright's Tavern began as a hostelry and a private home. When Ephraim Jones died in 1766, it was sold to Daniel Taylor who owned the Tavern until 1775 when it was sold to Charles Swan from Charlestown. Wright's Tavern is named after Amos Wright, although he never actually owned the building. Wright likely rented the building and was later linked to it by one of his descendants in the early 20th century. According to the Historic Structure Report, “Lemuel Shattucks referred to the	building	as “Wright’s Tavern, now Deacon Jarvis’s” in his 1835 History of the Town of Concord, giving more credence to its local association with Amos Wright.” Wright’s Tavern was managed by Amos Wright at the dawn of the American Revolution. Wright was the Tavern keeper on April 19th, 1775 when local militia gathered here prior to the skirmish at Concord's North Bridge. Allegedly, two of the British soldiers stopped into the Tavern for refreshments. The Massachusetts Provincial Congress met prior to this time in October 1774, at the First Parish Church. Wright's Tavern also served as a meeting place for committees of the Congress during the 5-day session.From approximately 1747 to 1787, this building functioned as a home and tavern usually operated by renters. The Tavern became a bakery in 1793 when it was purchased by Deacon Francis Jarvis and baker Thomas Safford. There is some evidence that suggests Jarvis rented the building before the two purchased it. In John Cole's 1989 study of the building, Cole found Jarvis' name written on a beam in the building alongside a year: 1787. It is likely that both Jarvis and Safford lived in the building with their families while operating their bakery. In 1795, Jarvis bought out Safford. Jarvis remained at Wright's Tavern until 1831 when he moved to Buttrick Farm. He continued owning the building during this period, renting it out to various tenants. In 1839, Stephen Jarvis purchased the Tavern from Francis Jarvis for $1. Stephen was born in Massachusetts in 1795 and may have been Francis' son. At the time Stephen purchased the building, he was a merchant living in New Orleans. He remained in New Orleans and rented the building out to others. In 1853, James M. Billings purchased the building from Jarvis and lived there with his wife and children. He was listed as a stable keeper on the census, suggesting he made his income from the barns near the building rather than from the building itself. Five years later, the mortgage was assigned to Samuel Staples who acquired the property with George Prescott. After their ownership, the building changed hands every few years and functioned in different capacities for various types of businesses.The First Parish Church in Concord acquired the building in the 1880s and began renting it out to tenants once again. By the mid-1890s, the Tavern was a restaurant and lodging. The Tavern continued to function in this capacity until the 1950s. During this roughly 50 year period, the building was occupied by various renters. By 1958, the building had been vacant for a year which ended its use as a restaurant and lodging. Throughout the 1960's and 70's, the building housed retail businesses and offices. The Secretary of the Interior declared the Tavern an historic site in 1961 and stated that it was eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. During the Bicentennial of the American Revolution in 1975, the Tavern's condition was reassessed. The Concord Bicentennial Committee and the First Parish Church created a plan for its continued upkeep, rather than dealing with structural issues as they arose. Over the centuries, several changes had been made to the Tavern both aesthetically and practically. Today, the building has been incorporated into the Concord Museum as an educational space.

Wright's Tavern was built in 1747 by Ephraim Jones. Jones operated the tavern until 1751 and twenty three years later, it was the site of the first meeting of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress. In April 1775, the tavern was the assembly point for Concord's Minutemen before the Battles of Lexington and Concord. The building has been well-preserved since the colonial period and is historically significant given the building's association with the Battle of Lexington and Concord at the start of the American Revolution.

Wright's Tavern, built in 1747 at Concord, played a colorful role in events leading up to the War for Independence, and in the fighting which marked the war's first day (National Park Service)

Wright's Tavern

The first home on the site was
built in 1698 by the Reverend John Hancock, shortly after his arrival in
Lexington from Newton, MA (another town just west of Boston which, at the time,
was a part of Cambridge).&nbsp; The original house
was quite small.&nbsp; The size was likely because
Hancock had little money to build a home, as he had a very modest
upbringing.&nbsp;&nbsp; Over time, there is
evidence that the family’s financial status improved.&nbsp; For example, rankings at Harvard College were
determined not by merit, but by socioeconomic status.&nbsp; Hancock graduated 13 of 14 in his class; his
youngest son, Ebenezer, graduated 15 of 42.&nbsp;
In 1737, his son Thomas, a wealthy Boston merchant, constructed an
addition to the family’s home.&nbsp; 

Reverend John Hancock was the
grandfather of the patriot of the same name, who was the first person to ink
his signature to the country’s Declaration of Independence.&nbsp; When the younger John was just a boy (1744),
his father died.&nbsp; He moved into the large
home with his grandfather and stayed for six years until he was adopted by his successful
uncle, Thomas Hancock. 

In 1752, the Reverend Jonas
Clarke succeeded Hancock as the area’s pastor and moved his family into the
parsonage.&nbsp; During his time in the home,
twelve children were born.&nbsp; Clarke was an
ardent supporter of the revolutionary cause.&nbsp;
His fiery sermons were a source of inspiration to the colonial patriots.&nbsp; He even allowed the militia to hold their
meetings in the home.&nbsp; 

On the night of April 18, 1775,
John Hancock was visiting his grandfather and Reverend Clarke at the
house.&nbsp; William Dawes rode to Lexington
from Boston to warn Hancock and Adams that, not only were the British coming
their way, but the two patriots were to be arrested for their revolutionary
actions.&nbsp; Nearby, the militia were
preparing for their brief battle on Lexington Green.&nbsp; It was the dawn of the American Revolution.&nbsp; 

The parsonage was facing
demolition in 1896 until the Lexington Historical Society stepped up and
purchased the house, with one condition.&nbsp;
In order to preserve the home, it had to be moved across the street from
its original site.&nbsp; Several decades
later, in the 1960s, the society had the opportunity to purchase the original
land.&nbsp; It completed the purchase and
moved the Hancock-Clarke House back to its former parcel. &nbsp;In 1971, the house was added to the National Register
of Historic Places. It underwent a large-scale structural restoration in
2008.&nbsp; 

The house was transformed into a
museum by the historical society.&nbsp; It
still contains several pieces of furniture, décor, and portraits owned by the
Hancock and Clarke families who once lived there.&nbsp; The museum’s exhibit area also contains
several very interesting items related to the events of the early morning hours
of April 19, 1775, including William Diamond’s drum and Major Pitcairn’s
pistols.&nbsp; 

The Hancock-Clarke house is open
to the public for tours from April through October. &nbsp;&nbsp;It is only open on the weekends through May
30 and then opens daily for the rest of the season.&nbsp; Tours are offered several times a day. 

Note: 

In 1798, Paul Revere wrote a letter to Jeremy Belknap: 

&nbsp;“I alarmed almost every house, til I got to
Lexington. I found Messrs. Hancock and Adams at the Rev. Mr. Clark’s”

The Hancock-Clarke House is a two-story colonial-era dwelling located at 36 Hancock Street in Lexington, Massachusetts (about 14 miles west of Boston). This 1737 house was the boyhood home of Revolutionary leader John Hancock, and was where he and Samuel Adams hid from British authorities at the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War.  It is only about one-quarter mile away from the Lexington Green were the historic first battle occurred.  

Hancock-Clarke House

Buckman Tavern is a large, yellow-colored
house located on Lexington Green.&nbsp; It was
built in 1690 by Benjamin Muzzey and handed down to his son, who transferred
ownership to his own daughter.&nbsp; Benjamin
Muzzey’s granddaughter married John Buckman, and together they ran the tavern
during the time when the American patriots were readying themselves for battle
against the British soldiers who were occupying the city.&nbsp; The members of the Lexington Minuteman
Company (of which John Buckman himself was a member) would have their meetings
in the Tavern and train on the Lexington Green.&nbsp;


In the early morning hours of
April 19, 1775, several dozen militiamen gathered in the tavern to wait for the
approach of the British troops.&nbsp; They
knew that the British soldiers were traveling from Boston towards Concord, MA
and therefore would have to march through Lexington.&nbsp; They were ready for them.&nbsp; Two dozen men arranged themselves in two
straight lines on the Lexington Green and prepared for battle.&nbsp; Upon the British troops’ arrival, a signal
shot was heard.&nbsp; One theory claims that
the first shot (possibly the “shot heard ‘round the world”) was fired from the
inside the historic tavern.&nbsp; &nbsp;Of course, there are many theories, including
one that the “shot heard ‘round the world” as it was written in Ralph Waldo
Emerson’s historic poem, was actually the first shot fired in Concord on North
Bridge. &nbsp;Either way, shots were fired on
Lexington Green that morning.&nbsp; The
Lexington militia suffered eight casualties and ten more men were wounded.&nbsp; The British army only recorded one wounded
soldier and no deaths.&nbsp; 

The Tavern stands in essentially
the same condition as it did in 1775.&nbsp;
There was some remodeling done at the property between 1690 and
1775.&nbsp; By 1913, the Town of Lexington had
already acquired nearby historic sites:&nbsp;
the Hancock-Clarke House and the Munroe Tavern.&nbsp; With the addition of the Buckman Tavern, they
added to the triangular historic area around Battle Green.&nbsp; The Lexington Historical Society was given
the task of furnishing the building and making in available to the community for
public viewing.&nbsp; Buckman Tavern was added
to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.&nbsp; Nearly two hundred years after the historic
battle, in 1973, the structure underwent extensive rehabilitation.&nbsp; The renovations did not change the way that
the structure appeared.&nbsp; Today, Buckman
Tavern is maintained by the Lexington Historical Society as a historic house
museum and is open daily for self-guided tours. It also serves as headquarters
for the Lexington Minute Men, Inc., an organization that perpetuates the
traditions of Captain Parker's company.

Buckman Tavern is a historic meeting house located at 1 Bedford Street in Lexington, Massachusetts (about 14 miles northwest of Boston). The tavern is located across from the Lexington Battle Green, also known as the Lexington Common National Historic Site.  Several dozen members of the Lexington militia met in the Tavern in the early morning hours of April 19, 1775, after Paul Revere famously rode West from Boston to announce the impending arrival of the British soldiers.  The tavern is featured in the background of many famous illustrations of the early confrontation.    

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