Among the many documents and objects in the Colrain Historical Society’s collection which explain our local history is an 18th century Connecticut River Valley type tavern table with turned legs separated by box stretchers. Its plain skirt has a center drawer and the original top with “bread board” ends has never been turned –unusual to find in a table of its age.
A replica of this table is being newly created by well-known furniture maker, Kenneth Noyes of Colrain. The table top of Noyes’ table is made from a single piece of old growth pine.
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| The original 18th century tavern table in the collection of the Colrain Historical Society. |
Raffle Tickets
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.