The Flower de Luce Tavern was built in 1687, and stood on the north-east corner of Bartlett and Blanchard streets. It was there, in 1698, that a meeting was held "to settle about the Muddy river people worshipping In their house." Its last landlord was Samuel Ruggles.
The Punch Bowl Tavern was built in 1729 by John Ellis, and stood in Brookline, about two hundred feet west from the boundary line between Roxbury and Brookline, upon the present site of Brookline gas-works, on the south-west corner of Washington street and Brookline avenue. It was a two-story hipped-roof house, and its enlargement from time to time, by the purchase and removal of old houses thither from Boston and vicinity, resulted in an aggregation of rooms of all sorts and sizes, and produced a new order of architecture, appropriately called "conglomerate" With its out-buildings it occupied a large space, and was of a yellowish color, with a seat running along the front under an overhanging projection of the second story. In front and near each end were large elm-trees. Under the west end stood a pump, which still remains. Its sign, suspended by a high, red post, exhibited a huge bowl and ladle, overhung by a lemon-tree. It had a large dancing-hall, and was a favorite resort for gay parties from Boston and vicinity. It was patronized by British officers before the Revolution. The mill-dam and the bridges destroyed its usefulness, and it was bought by Isaac Thayer, and demolished in 1833, with the exception of one of its adjuncts, which now stands on the easterly side of Brookline avenue, nearly opposite Emerald street.
Kent's Tavern was built in 1747, and stood on the site of Grove Hall, built by, and for many years the mansion of, Thomas Kilby Jones, a famous auctioneer of Boston, and now known as the "Consumptives' Home," on the south-east corner of Washington street and Blue Hill avenue. It was originally the home-stead of Samuel Payson, and was owned by John Goddard in the early part of the last century. It ceased to be a public house in 1796.
Hazlitt's Tavern stood on the corner of Washington and Palmer streets. It was built in 1764, and had a deer's head for a sign. Afterwards it was known as the "Roebuck Tavern," John Brooks being its last landlord. It was first occupied as a public house in 1820, and it was the place of refuge of Edmund Kean when driven by a mob from the (old) Boston Theatre, December 21, 1825.
The Peacock Tavern was built in 1765, and stood at the south-westerly corner of Centre and Allandale streets, near the famous mineral springs. It was kept by Capt. Samuel Childs, who led the minutemen [117] company of the third parish in the Lexington battle. It was purchased in 1794, with forty acres adjoining, by the patriot Samuel Adams, and he occupied it during his gubernatorial term as a summer residence, and afterward until the close of his honorable life.
On the north-west corner of Washington and Vernon streets, where Diamond block now stands, there formerly stood an old house, which was occupied in 1805 as the Old Red Tavern, kept by Martin Pierce.
The City Hotel was built of brick in 1804, and stood near the north-west corner of Washington and Zeigler streets, and was the mansion of George Zeigler. It ceased to be a public house about a third of a century ago.
Taft's Tavern stood at the north-west corner of Washington and South streets, near the Roslindale station, on the Dedham Branch railway. It was built in 1805, and first kept by Sharp & Dunster, and was long famous for good dinners. The widow of Samuel Burrill kept it during the War of 1813-1815. It is now the Roslindale Hotel.
The Norfolk House was built in 1781, and was the mansion of Joseph Ruggles, a well-known lawyer of that day. His uncle Joseph kept an inn in Roxbury in 1765. After the decease of Capt. Nathaniel Ruggles the mansion was the residence of Hon. David A. Simmons, who sold it to the Norfolk House Company in 1825, and it was opened in the following year as a public house, a large brick addition having been built containing a hall for public assemblies, known at first as Highland Hall, subsequently as Norfolk Hall, which, in 1853, was moved to the rear. The old mansion now stands on the north side of Norfolk street, and is occupied as a tenement-house. It was the starting-point of the Roxbury hourly coaches, which began running to the Old South Church on the first of March, 1826; fare, twelve and a half cents. It ceased to be a public house a generation ago, and became the pioneer of that large class of domestic and social comforts designated as "family hotels," no less than sixty of which now stand where, half a century ago, the tide ebbed and flowed.
In 1635 Robert Long with his wife and ten children arrived from Dunstable (Eng.) at Charlestown, and in 1638 purchased the so-called "Great House," originally erected by Thomas Graves for the governor's residence, for court-meetings, and public religious worship, which stood in what is now City square, opposite the Waverley House, and the base of the Town Hill. In a few years it was abandoned. Long paid £30 for the premises, to be used as a tavern, or ordinary. No use of tobacco, no card-playing, and no throwing of dice was allowed. He was allowed the use of a pasture, provided he would fence it, for the use of the horses of the guests. He was liable to a fine of ten shillings for every offence of selling at a price exceeding sixpence for a meal, or taking more than a "penny for an ale-quart of beer out of meal-times," or for selling cake or buns except for marriages, burials, or like special occasions. The tavern was well known afterwards as "The Three Cranes." Mr. Long and his sons [118] following him carried on the house for three-quarters of a century, Robert, the first landlord, died January 9, 1664, and his widow May 27, 1687. In 1683 John, son of Robert, willed the house to his widow Mary, daughter of Increase Nowell. The estate had a brew-house attached to it. In 1711 the property was deeded by Mrs. Long to her son Samuel, and named in the deed as the "Great Tavern." Samuel, in 1712, sold it to Ebenezer Breed, when the house was called "The Old Tavern." The building was probably burnt in the destruction of Charlestown, on the day of the Battle of Bunker Hill, June 17, 1775. Finally, the land was bought by the town, and is now part of City square.