Parker Tavern

Parker Tavern in Reading, Massachusetts, is the town’s oldest surviving building, erected by 1694 and preserved as a strong example of a New England saltbox house. Built soon after farmer and blacksmith Abraham Bryant acquired the land, it later passed through several prominent local owners, including Ebenezer Nichols and Ephraim Parker. From 1770 to 1785, Parker operated a tavern there. During the Revolutionary War, he also sheltered British prisoner Colonel Archibald Campbell until Campbell’s exchange for Ethan Allen in 1778. Acquired for preservation in the early 20th century, the house has long served as a local history museum and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

Reading, Massachusetts · United States