Swansea Historical Society


Swansea Historical Society Still Photo Presentation
on the History of New England Taverns
and Historical Taverns of Swansea, Massachusetts

The still photo presentation is an automatic slide show.
Slides will advance every 12 seconds on their own or you can advance the slides manually using either the arrows at the sides or the 'dots' at the bottom of the slides. You can also pause a slide by simply hovering your mouse over the slide (no clickin needed, just hover).

There are 23 slides in this presentation. Recommended viewing is on a personal computer or a tablet, not a phone.


Additional inforamtion on Historical Taverns of Swansea, Massachusetts added 1 May 2025

The Town of Swansea actually had six taverns at one point in time:

  • Graham's Tavern built 1860 located at 5 Mason Street
  • Shorts Tavern 282 Market Street built 1742
  • Pearse Tavern/Inn 486 Pierce Road built 1810
  • Milford Tavern also known as Old Tavern formerly on Milford Road where Target now stands built 1770 and that was in the Mason family
  • Luther's Tavern broke ground 1799 open to 1802 Old Warren Road
  • Hull House build date Circa 1790 this is 93 Main Street prior owners had stated in the Deeds it was documented that it was a Tavern and documented its build date. Unfortunately those deeds were lost and the Registry of Deeds does not go back that far for this particular house. When research was being done for the National Registry listing, the Registry of Deeds only went back to 1845. Prior deeds were not available becasue they were either stolen or lost.




 

Reference links from the slideshow:

 

"6 Revolutionary Taverns"
https://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/6-revolutionary-taverns/

 

"The New England Tavern - A General Study"
http://npshistory.com/publications/mima/the_new_england_tavern.pdf

 

"The Six Oldest Courthouses in New England"
https://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/the-six-oldest-courthouses-in-new-england/

 

"CONNECTIONS: Taverns and inns part of the fabric of Berkshires life"
https://theberkshireedge.com/connections-the-importance-of-taverns-and-inns/

 

"Massachusetts MPS Short's Tavern"
Photo from National Archives Catalog
https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63789671

 

"Massachusetts MPS Luther's Corner"
Photo from National Archives Catalog
https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63789675

 

"Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator. Old Tavern, U.S. Route 6 & Milford Road, Swansea, Bristol County, MA. Swansea Massachusetts Bristol County"
Photo from Library of Congress website
https://www.loc.gov/item/ma0594/