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| The original 18th century tavern table in the collection of the Colrain Historical Society. |
Raffle tickets for the replica table are priced $10.00 each or three for $25.00. They are available at Boswell's Books and Sawyer’s News on Bridge Street in Shelburne Falls. Tickets will also be available during the Crafts of Colrain Tour, November 10 and 11, at Pine Hill Orchards and at Ken Noyes’ workshop on Jacksonville Road. They can also be bought on Bridge Street at Moonlight Magic in Shelburne Falls on Friday, November 23, 4 pm - 9 pm. The winning ticket will be drawn at the close of Moonlight Magic.
Background of Colrain's Historic Tavern Table
Taverns, simple or elaborate, dotted early America in the days before trains and motorcars. They tended to be located close enough to each other on the network of dirt roads where travelers, whether by horses, oxen, or by foot could find rest and refreshment. They also served as gathering places for a community’s locals. The men and women who managed these establishments required licenses for selling liquor and providing services.
In Colrain, one such tavern was the Fox and Goose on Call Road, run by Thomas Fox. His wife, Patience Cannon, who was previously a widow on Catamount Hill, joined him in this enterprise upon their marriage in 1791.
Furniture used in taverns needed to be suitable for the constant use of serving meals, playing cards and activities common in taverns, and a style of table evolved with a broad top referred to as a “tavern table”. When the top of a tavern table became worn and scarred from use it would be turned over and the fresh underside became the new table top.
