National Register of Historic Places

Abbot Tavern

Andover, Essex County, Massachusetts
Listed
June 9, 1982
Type
Building
Period
Early Republic
Ref No.
82004810

About this property

Abbot Tavern is a historic former tavern, now a private residence, in Andover, Massachusetts. Probably built in the second half of the 18th century, it is a prominent local example of Georgian, and is also significant for its association with the locally prominent Abbot family. The tavern was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The former Abbot Tavern is located northeast of downtown Andover, on the northwest side of Elm Street a short way north of its junction with Wolcott Street. The street is a busy through street in a residential area. The tavern is a two-story wood frame structure, with a low-pitch hip roof, central chimney, and clapboarded exterior. It is five bays wide and three deep, with a center entrance sheltered by a projecting gabled vestibule. The vestibule entry is framed by pilasters, which rise to an entablature that extends around the projecting sides, and is topped by a gabled pediment. Windows are 8-over-6 sash on the first floor and 6-over-6 on the second; the latter are set close to the eave in the Federal style. A two-story hip-roof ell projects to the rear, its southern facade a continuation of the main block. The tavern's construction date is uncertain: it has traditionally been claimed to have been built about 1680, but the structure clearly has Georgian styling, and only first appears in town records in 1776, when Isaac Abbot petitioned to operate a tavern. The building is also notable for hosting George Washington when he visited the area in 1789. The tavern served as the town's first post office, and Isaac Abbot as its first postmaster. Abbot was prominent in local civic affairs, serving as a selectman and town clerk. National Register of Historic Places listings in Andover, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places listings in Essex County, Massachusetts Media related to Abbot Tavern, Andover at Wikimedia Commons

Location

70 Elm St.
Andover, Essex County, Massachusetts
42.66425, -70.91739

Categories

COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENTARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Harding, Sarah H., House
Industrial
0.4 mi
Foster, Stephen, House
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0.9 mi
Howe Barn
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1.3 mi
Turner Hill
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French-Andrews House
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Nearby Battles

Raid on Andover (MA, 1698)
1698Colonial
11.2 mi
Andover Raid (King Philip's War)
1676Colonial
11.2 mi
Raid on Haverhill (1708)
1708Colonial
11.2 mi
Battle of Haverhill 1708
1708Colonial
11.2 mi
Queen Anne's War – Raid on Haverhill MA 1708
1708Colonial
11.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Abbot Tavern listed on the National Register?

Abbot Tavern was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 9, 1982.

What type of historic resource is Abbot Tavern?

Abbot Tavern is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Abbot Tavern?

The period of significance for Abbot Tavern is recorded as the early_republic era.

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