HomeMy WebLinkAboutarea-ahArea AH - Buckman Tavern
In 1966 the Buckman Tavern was declared a National Historic Landmark as a nationally-significant historic place. Fewer than
2,500 historic places in the nation have earned this distinction. There are currently (2009) 184 National Historic Landmarks in
Massachusetts and three in Lexington - the Buckman Tavern, the Hancock-Clarke House and the Lexington Green. The
Buckman Tavern is also listed in the National Register of Historic Places, has been documented by the Historic American
Buildings Survey and is located within the Battle Green Local Historic District (see also Areas B & AC).
The building was constructed about 1710 and was one of Lexington's busiest 18th century taverns. It takes its name from John
Buckman who was the proprietor in 1775 and was also a member of the Lexington Company of Minutemen. The tavern was a
popular gathering place for the minutemen when they trained on the nearby green. In the early hours of April 19, 1775 several
dozen Minute Men assembled at the tavern to await the British soldiers approaching from Boston.
1941 View of Buckman Tavern, Historic American Buildings Survey
Later the Tavern housed a village store and later, in 1812, the first town post office. The building was acquired by the Town of
Lexington in 1913 and restored by the Lexington Historical Society in the 1920s. The restoration uncovered the original seven
foot wide taproom fireplace. The building is located at 1 Bedford Street and is open to the public daily from April to October.