“Step back in time” says the sign that might as well be hanging right above the entrance to the Wayside Inn. This Sudbury inn has hosted guests for more than 300 years. It stands as the oldest operating inn in the nation.
Travelers have visited this colonial property for centuries. The Wayside Inn sits just off Route 20. The sign out front bears the initials of the original Howe family. The dates show when each Howe became an innkeeper. David Howe was the first.
Since 1716, this establishment has been in the hospitality business. Current innkeeper Steve Pickford shares interesting facts about the property. The old tavern reveals the origin of the term “bar.” Actual bars closed the bar area. That’s where the term came from.
Many legendary tales surround the Wayside Inn. Lyman Howe, the last Howe innkeeper, was a great storyteller. He told the story of Paul Revere’s ride. Longfellow’s Wayside Inn is also fully functional. The grist mill is a highlight.
Henry Ford owned this property starting in 1923. He built the grist mill to have an operating mill. The inn runs a full bakery today. It grinds its own grains for the bakery. They grind wheat flour and cornmeal.
The Martha-Mary Chapel hosts over 100 weddings each year. The staff here ensures you feel transported back in time. The historic buildings help create a colonial feel. Volunteer re-enactors also frequent the inn.
Originally, the Wayside Inn was a modest two-room family residence in 1707. It became an official inn by 1716. It was first known as Howe’s Tavern. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow made it famous. He used it as the setting for his poetry book “Tales of a Wayside Inn” in 1863.
Henry Ford admired Longfellow. He purchased the property in 1923. Ford restored the inn and land. He wanted to create a living history museum. He added a grist mill, schoolhouse, and chapel. These additions saved the land from development. The Wayside Inn is the oldest operating inn in the United States today because of these redemptions.
Tales of the Wayside Inn ghost also add to its allure. Jerusha Howe is the reputed ghost. The Howe family built the inn. Her brother, Lyman, was the last Howe to run it. Jerusha was known as “the belle of Sudbury.” Her musical and artistic skills were renowned. She owned the first piano in town. Some say she still plays it today. Ghostly tunes are heard in the night.
Jerusha was engaged to an Englishman. He sailed home to make wedding arrangements but never returned. Some say he drowned or abandoned her. Jerusha never married. She lived at the inn and died at 45 in 1842. It’s said she died of a broken heart.
Jerusha haunts room 9, her old bedroom. Guests have reported smelling her citrus perfume. Some feel her sweep past on the stairs. Others claim to be awakened by her touch or see her at the foot of the bed. The Secret Drawer Society is a unique custom here. Guests leave notes about their ghost encounters in hidden spots. Some notes date back decades.
Longfellow’s Wayside Inn is a special historic treasure. Its atmosphere keeps guests coming back. If Jerusha is indeed the Wayside Inn ghost, it’s no wonder she never wants to leave.