Jameson Tavern is an historic building on Main Street in Freeport, Maine, United States. It was completed in 1779, as a home for local physician Dr. John Anglier Hyde, a decade before the town was incorporated and when it was part of North Yarmouth, then in Massachusetts. It stands across the side street Justin's Way from L.L.Bean's flagship store. It became an important meeting place during the discussions regarding the District of Maine's secession from Massachusetts in the early 19th century. It is believed representatives of the Joint Commission of Massachusetts and Maine met on the second floor of the building ("in its northeastern corner") in 1820 to sign the final papers giving Maine its independence, thus giving it the claim that it is the "birthplace of Maine." The

Daughters of the American Revolution The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States' efforts towards independence. A non-profit group, they promote ...

installed a plaque, describing these events, on the property in 1914. The Freeport Historical Society, meanwhile, has said it has found no record that the commissioners ever met in town. Poets Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and

John Greenleaf Whittier John Greenleaf Whittier (December 17, 1807 – September 7, 1892) was an American Quaker poet and advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. Frequently listed as one of the fireside poets, he was influenced by the Scottish poet ...

, as well as United States president

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. He was a northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the nation's unity ...

, are understood to have visited the tavern. The property was built by Dr. John Anglier Hyde, a local physician. (Hyde's daughter, Mary, married Ebenezer Wells, professor of

obstetrics Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a surgi ...

at the

Medical School of Maine Bowdoin College ( ) is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. When Bowdoin was chartered in 1794, Maine was still a part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The college ...

.) Shortly after the home's completion, it was sold to Captain Samuel Jameson (1766–1814). It was run as a tavern between 1801 and 1828, when Jameson's widow sold it. The tavern became Codman's Tavern, owned by Richard Codman, in 1828. He was the proprietor for 28 years, at which point it was purchased by John Cushing, a local shipbuilder. Today, it is known as Jameson Tavern once again, and it is operated as such, albeit only in the building's rear wing; the main building is now a tourist-information office for visitors to the town. The tavern closed in 2013, but has since reopened. It was put on the market in 2019. As of 2023, Double Barrel, a specialty beer and wine store, occupies the Jameson Tavern formal dining room. File:Jameson-Codman Tavern, Freeport, ME.jpg, The main building, its rear wing, and barn in 1915 File:Jameson Tavern interior.jpg, The southern end of the main building's first floor. The wing is just out of view to the left (2022)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jameson Tavern Historic sites in Maine Restaurants in Maine Taverns in Maine 1779 establishments in the Province of Massachusetts Bay Commercial buildings completed in 1779 Buildings and structures in Freeport, Maine