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Show OLD WILLIAMS 1 MASSACHUSETTS TAVERN WHERE WASHINGTON ONCE DINED. First Eitabllthed In 1652 and Seen of Some Notable Incidents Has Been Remodeled But Still a House for Wayfarers. Hoston. A raro old roadside Inn lr deed Is the Williams tnvern In Marlboro, Marl-boro, Inss., on tho shores of "tho polid," in ono of tho most pleasant sections of tho border city of Worcester Worces-ter county. The venerable hostelry hns been tho sebno of some notnblo Incidents In lo-cnl lo-cnl history, ns well as tho temporary residing place of tho Father of His Country. Just how ninny years old Williams tnvern has been a public house for tho entertainment of man or beast is not precisely known, but Abraham Williams, the pioneer of his family in Marlboro, located thore as early, at least, as 1C63. Ho married Joanna Ward, a daughter daugh-ter of tho original Ward family In town, and settled down In this IJoston turnpike abode In that year. Tho house Is now tho property ol Mrs. Henry Cnrr, and tho landlord la Eugeno E. Plnkhnm. The pictures of Landlord Pinkham's predecessors would make n goodly group, If attain ablo, from Abraham Williams In Purl-tan Purl-tan days down to present Incumbent The modernized top of tho structure was added In 1883. The houso hns now 3G rooms. In tho old days, when the Boston and Worcester stage drlv crs and teamsters made morry in tho tap room, there were but 20 rooms Part of the space, before Marlboro be- mumm tavern fawblishcd ItSl V8$Hl(iAJU'fi''i!N'j-Qoon wHff THE GttilPflL FftniLY DINLD came a city, was utilized' as n town courtroom, and two brick cells in tho cellar, now filled with coal, were places of safe-keeping for unruly offenders. of-fenders. Tho Williams tnvern Is mentioned in tho report of lieutenant, or Ensign D'Bernlcro. of tho British Tenth regiment, regi-ment, and who, In 1775, with' Capt. Brown of tho Fifty-second regiment, mado a secret expedition to Worcester county, and hnd to fly from Marlbpro' on being discovered. In tho dining room of tho old house President Washington, whllo on his way from Worcester to Boston, In 1780, partook of a noon repast. In (ho diary of his trip Washington under dato of Friday, October 23, 1789, says: "On tho lino between Worcester and Middlesex counties I was met by a troop of light horso belonging to tho latter, who escorted me to Marlborough Marlbor-ough (1G miles), whero wo dined, and thenco to Weston (14 nloro), whero wo lodged." The Massachusetts Spy of October 29, 1789, says that: "At tho line In Marlboroilgh, ho (Wanhlngton) was mot by Capt. Bice's company of horse, well mounted, nnd In complete uniform. uni-form. They escorted him to Capt. Williams' Wil-liams' tavern, whero ho was met by tho marshal of this district, Jonathan Jackson of Boston, nnd whero ho dined." At this timo tho landlord of tho Williams tavern seoms to liavo been CnpU Georgo Williams, a son of Col. Abraham Williams. "Landlord George" died In 1813 ntkthe ago of 77. Washington's retinue on this trip consisted of his two secretaries, tho ever faithful Tobias Lear -tho Secretary Secre-tary Loob of tho first administration Col. William Jackson of Philadelphia Philadel-phia and six servants. United States Marshal Jonathan Jackson had already nrrlved at tho tnvern from Boston. There was, thoro-fore, thoro-fore, n party of four dlnoin In tho room shown in this Illustration tlio president, Secretaries Lear and Jnck son and Marshal Jackson. It Is iinfortunnto for tho natural and pnrdonablo curiosity of tho present generation that there Is no record, printed or otherwise of Landlord Gcorgo's bill of fare on this occasion. Washington mndo no other allusion to this dinner than that "wo dined." Ho did speak of Parsons' tavern In Sprlnglleld as well as of tho Jenks Inn nt Sponcerns bolng "good houses." The "Widow IngeraoH's," on tho old Plorco corner on Scollay square, Boston, Bos-ton, ho referred to as n vory "decent jnd good house." Some of tho othoi '.avorns ho visited, however, woro glvon Bcnnt praise. In tho Williams tavern failed to recolvo any criticism nr commendation It must bo that Its dinner for Washington was at least satisfactory. nwartniM 1 1 a no "aMMaiik,aKra , MI)WMK |