The Wyman Tavern is a historic house, former tavern, and now a local history museum, at 339 Main Street in

Keene, New Hampshire Keene is a city in, and the County seat, seat of Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 23,047 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 23,409 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Keene is ho ...

. Built in 1762 by

Isaac Wyman Isaac Wyman (1724–1792) was born January 18, 1724, in Woburn, Massachusetts, to Joshua Wyman and his wife Mary Pollard. In 1747 he married Sarah Wells of Franklin, Massachusetts. They had nine children altogether. As a young man, Wyman mov ...

, it also served as the muster ground for militia at the outbreak of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. In 1968 the property was acquired by a local non-profit, which leases it to the Cheshire County Historical Society for use as a museum. The building was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1972.

Description and history

The Wyman Tavern is located south of downtown Keene, on the west side of Main Street nearly adjacent to the campus of

Keene State College Keene State College is a public liberal arts college in Keene, New Hampshire. It is part of the University System of New Hampshire and the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. Founded in 1909 as a teacher's college (originally, Keene Norma ...

. It is a -story wood-frame structure, with a gabled roof, clapboarded exterior, and central brick chimney. Its main facade is five bays wide, with sash windows arranged symmetrically around the center entrance. Second-story windows butt against the eave, while those on the ground floor are topped by peaked lintels. The entry is sheltered by a hip-roofed portico supported by round columns. The interior follows a typical center-chimney plan, with a narrow entrance vestibule that has a tight winding staircase. The interior shows exposed hand-hewn timbers and Federal period paneling. There are two single-story ells, both apparently added in the early 19th century. The house was built in 1762 by

, a veteran of the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

, who operated a tavern on the premises for 30 years. In 1770 the first meeting of the trustees of

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

was held here, an event that was repeated in celebration of the school's bicentennial in 1970. For more than 50 years in the 19th century it was home to Reverend Zedekiah Barstow, the last town-funded minister in Keene. In addition to his role as minister, Barstow also held a private school here, which numbered

Salmon P. Chase Salmon Portland Chase (January 13, 1808May 7, 1873) was an American politician and jurist who served as the sixth chief justice of the United States. He also served as the 23rd governor of Ohio, represented Ohio in the United States Senate, a ...

among its students. The building was acquired by a local non-profit and converted into a museum in 1968.

References

External links

Wyman Tavern - Cheshire County Historical Society
{{NRHP in Cheshire County, New Hampshire Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire Houses completed in 1762 Houses in Cheshire County, New Hampshire Buildings and structures in Keene, New Hampshire Historic house museums in New Hampshire Museums in Cheshire County, New Hampshire National Register of Historic Places in Cheshire County, New Hampshire Taverns in the American Revolution

Description and history

See also

References

External links