Congratulations to the United States of America for its 250th birthday! The Friends of Josiah Smith Tavern have put together, with the help of Pam Fox, President of the Historical Society, a little information about what was happening in our own little town of Weston in 1776.
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In 1776, the town of Weston was just over 60 years old as a town independent from Watertown. The population was around 1,000 people. Much of civic and social life revolved around church and meeting house, as well as several taverns around town. Early taverns not only provided meals and lodging to travelers but also gave local residents a place to socialize, transact business, and exchange news and opinions. The Josiah Smith Tavern had been operating as a tavern since 1757 and was therefore entering its 20th year of operation during the American Revolution.
And while we know that Weston residents had participated in many of the events that were leading to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia in July 1776, we don’t really know what was happening inside the Josiah Smith Tavern at that time, and probably won’t ever know unless we suddenly unearth a handwritten journal of the time. We do know that Josiah Smith’s Tavern was Patriot-leaning – welcoming Liberty Men patrons who supported independence. Were Tory-leaning citizens made to feel unwelcome? Did they seek their pints somewhere else? It’s hard to know.
A review of known historical documents confirms that Josiah Smith himself was one of those who were behind a Patriot unified response. You can see in this letter, signed by more than a few residents that in 1773, Josiah Smith was firmly a Patriot:
There are a number of unknowns itching for historical fictionalization: did father/tavern owner Josiah, and son Joel, along with Weston revolutionary greats like Samuel Phillip Savage, sit around wood tables with a pint of cider at the beginning of the summer of 1776, and discuss whether or not the Continental Congress would declare independence [see footnote 1]? Would they have been worried or excited, fed up with the status quo, or just wanting to go about daily life in peace? Would they have been scanning the Boston Post Road for a horse and rider bringing news from Philadelphia? News would have taken some time to travel by horseback and messenger. While the first copy of the Declaration of Independence reached Boston on July 15, 1776, copies had to be printed and distributed – a reading of the signed Declaration would not happen in Weston until September 8, 1776.
Thanks to the Weston Historical Society, here’s what we do know about the Josiah Smith Tavern in 1776: it was smaller than it is today -the addition that includes what we now call the Rose Ballroom was added by Josiah’s son Joel in about 1805. Horses spent the night in the separate barn – there was no “breezeway” between the two buildings. We also know that taverns at this time served warm food and that rum was the main drink, followed by warm beer, wine, and hard cider. Tavern keepers also mixed drinks such as the popular “flip,” a mixture of strong beer, rum, and a sweetener such as molasses or dried pumpkin. Tavern keepers would drop a hot iron loggerhead into the pitcher, causing the mixture to foam and develop its characteristic burnt flavor.
What is delightful to imagine is groups of Weston residents with wide-ranging beliefs and commitment to a cause coming together to discuss what was happening and what should be done about it. As The Woods restaurant comes closer to construction, it’s where we would like to imagine discussions about our town and our issues, political or not, will take place over hopefully not-warm beer or a “flip.”
Note that the town will celebrate the reading of the Declaration of Independence in Weston on September 13, 2026, by holding a parade from the Tory-leaning Golden Ball Tavern to the Patriot-supporting Josiah Smith Tavern. There will be no potshots from behind stone walls – we are all friends here now:
To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the reading, a Declaration Day Committee headed by Diana Chaplin and Artemis Willis is planning two events: a special Cocktail Party on Tuesday, September 8 with proceeds benefiting the Weston Historical Society; and a Tavern Stroll on Sunday, September 13.There will be tours of the Golden Ball Tavern and a parade led by George Washington and other revolutionary figures down Boston Post Road past the historic Burgoyne Elm site to the Josiah Smith Tavern. Along the way, visitors can enjoy pop-up local food vendors and horse-drawn carriage rides, before gathering at the Josiah Smith Tavern for Colonial games and a magic lantern show in the JST Rose Ballroom. The day will culminate in a reading for all to hear of the Declaration of Independence on the steps of the Tavern.
More details about the event will be available shortly on the Weston Historical Society website.
Note:
1. Josiah Smith, his brother Braddyll (also spelled Braddyl) and Samuel Philips Savage were the three men who represented Weston at the First Provincial Congress in Concord in 1774 and probably knew more than anyone in Weston about what was going on in Philadelphia in 1776.
For more of what was happening in the 1770s, see this Historical Society Bulletin.