Ashfield — Taverns Extracted from "History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, Volume II," by Louis H. Everts, 1879.       The first house of public entertainment in the town is believed to have been kept by Joseph Mitchell, as early as 1763, on the east side of Bellows' Hill, above where Elias and Charles Rogers now live, in the northeast part of the town. The first precinct-meetings of Ashfield were held there. Timothy Perkins had one on "the Plains" in 1773, and perhaps earlier. Capt. Moses Fuller kept one a two-story house on the site now occupied by the house of Moses Cook, as early as 1767, and probably until his death, in 1794. A tavern was kept where Rev. Mr. Green now resides, the latter part of the last century, by Seth Wait. Zachariah Field built the house or a part of it now occupied by Henry S. Ranney, in 1792, and kept a tavern and store there until 1808. He was then succeeded by A. & D. White, who also had a store in the same building. John Williams followed next, in the same place and business, in the year 1816, and was succeeded by Harrison Foote, about the year 1838, who kept it until about 1846. These were all at or near Ashfield Plains.       Others have been kept in different sections of the town. One of two stores was built by Asa Newton, at Spruce Corners, the early part of the present century, and was kept by him, and afterward by Jonathan and Joshua Bond in turn. About 1820, or 1825, Whiting Kellogg also had one in South Ashfield,‘the house now owned by Nathan Sears. About the same time one was kept in the east part of the town where Champion Rice and son now reside—by Russell Bement George Barrus kept a tavern near the Congregational meeting-house, at the centre, in the house now owned by J. Kilborn, from about the year 1820 to 1838. In the northwest part of the town Ezra Williams had a tavern for a number of years, at the close of the first quarter of the present century, and until about the year 1850. The only tavern now in the town is what is known as the "Ashfield House," at the "Plains." Lyman Cross first kept it, as early as 1831, and was succeeded by his son Lemuel for a number of years. For the last decade it has been acceptably kept by the present proprietor, Allen Phillips, who married a daughter of Lyman Cross. | Previous Page | Contents | Next Page | | Ashfield Page | History of the CT Valley in Mass. | | Franklin County | Western Mass History & Genealogy | These pages are © Laurel O'Donnell, 2005, all rights reserved and cannot be reproduced in any format without permission This page was last updated on 29 Jun 2005