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Show Lexington Inn Bears Scars of Famous Battle Among New England towns which, In using old historic houses for their community centers, have shown their reverence for the past and their appreciation ap-preciation of the value of keeping it alive, are Lexington and Dedliam, writes Margaret Fitzgerald Browne, in the Boston Transcript. Of Lexington does this more especially hold true, for here the Lexington Historical society so-ciety has turned over to the Community association the old Buckman tavern, built in 1690, and closely associated with the stirring events of the history of the town, which are also the events of the history of the nation. It was closely associated in a literal sense, too, for it stands so near the village green, where Captain Parker and his seventy-six minute men faced six hundred hun-dred trained British soldiers in the gray -dawn of April 19, 1775, that there are holes made by the bullets in Its white clapboarding Its scars from the battle. The very oldest of the twelve taverns tav-erns which once were carrying on an active business in Lexington, the Buck-man Buck-man tavern, so called from Its owner and landlord in Revolutionary days, John Buckman, was built In 1690 by Benjamin Muzzey, who owned a considerable con-siderable piece of land in that part of the countryside, then called Cambridge Cam-bridge Farms. Up to that time, since the first house was built there in 1640 by Roger Herlarkenden, Cambridge Farms had remained a precinct of Cambridge, and its lands were used by Cambridge people as an additional source of hay. The year after Benjamin Benja-min Muzzey built his tavern, and was licensed to keep a public house and hung before It a sign promising "en-tentainment "en-tentainment for man and beast," Cambridge Cam-bridge Farms was incorporated as a separate parish, but it was not until March 81, 1713, that the town was in-'corporated in-'corporated as Lexington, taking its name from Lord Lexington, a British statesman of prominence at the time. Later Colonial Period. The house as originally built had a ihuge brick chimney at one end, which provided enormous fireplaces for Its two rooms, one room to a floor, while a narrow stairway went up beside the.' chimney. This original house was added to at various times, and fireplaces fire-places with the necessary alterations and flues were built into different sides of the chimney, so that it now presents pre-sents the square substantial lines of the later Colonial period. An ell built onto the front right-hand corner of the house was added In 1812-13 and this part of the tavern became the first post office In Lexington, continuing in that capacity until 1847. This room now makes a convenient and pleasant place for bridge parties and food sales for charity, and such activities of the town. The oldest part of the house lies t" the right of the door as you enter Jler 1 the original taproom of the tavern, with its huge fireplace before which the guests of the inn smoked their pipes and drank the hard cider and ale and Medford rum, which were served through the little window opening open-ing icto the bar. The bar is still there, just as it was, even to its original, old yooden shelf and hinged door which let down from the ceiling and closed the opening into the closet-like taproom where the drinks were stored. All of Historical Interest. Around the fireplace, with its old Colonial fittings of fire irons and tin oven, are now hung various objects of historical Interest. Leaning against a wall in this room Is the original front door of the house with a bullet hole In its old panels, received in the battle. Back of this room and connecting with it and the bar is the inn kitchen with its huge fireplace and brick oven. The second story of the house consists con-sists of large, square rooms all with fireplaces, and all have been the scenes Buckman Tavern, Lexington, Mas., in Which Are Found Soar of Flrrt Revolutionary Rev-olutionary Battle. of incidents connected with the life of the house. A large room occupying the whole left side was the old ballroom. To the house came Paul Revere on the night of the 18th of April or rather early In the morning of the 19th, after he had warned Hancock and Adams of the approach of the British. These two patriots had been in Concord to attend the provincial congress, which had been in session a few days before, and were spending that memorable night at Hancock's Han-cock's grandfather's house, where hlB married sister was then living, the Hancock-Clark house In Lexington. Having taken the precious leaders In safety to a house In Woburn, Paul Revere and a Mr. Lowell, who was Hancock's clerk, .returned to Lexington to find out what was happening and in doing so saw fired and heard the opening shots of the Revolution. Paul Revere's own narrative of his adventures on that night of the ride, though rather laconic and matter of fact, given plenty of food for the Imagination. The part connected con-nected with the Euckman tavern reads as follows: Paul Revere' Story. "Mr Lowell and myself went towards the tavern, when we met a man on a full gallop, who told us the troops were coming up the rocks. We afterwards met another who said they were close by. Mr. Lowell asked me to go to the tavern with him to get a trunk of papers belonging to Mr. Hancock. We went up chamber, and while we were getting the trunk, we saw the British very near upon a full march. We hurried hur-ried towards Mr. Clark's house. On our way we passed through the militia. There were about fifty. When we had got about one hundred yards from the meeting house the British troops appeared ap-peared on both sides of the meeting house. In their front was an officer on horseback. They made a halt; when I saw and heard a gun fired, which appeared to be a pistol. Then I could distinguish two guns, and then a continual roar of musketry; when wo made off with the trunk." After the battle several wounded British soldiers were brought iuto the tavern. Dedham's Community House. Although Dedham cannot boast so old or historic an edifice for Its community com-munity house, it has, nevertheless, In the old Bullard house a building of fine possibilities for a social center. The house was built by Judge Huven in 1795. While the Dedliam Community association asso-ciation aspires eventually to restore the house to its former beauty It realizes the Importance of first making it practical prac-tical for the purpose for which It has been bought. Changes in the Interior are now being made with a view to provide rooms for social meetings of various kinds, even perhaps a hall with a small stage for amateur theatricals, and the restoration of such features as the old fireplaces and mantels will have to wait until the association has more funds. |