Tavern Keeper

Become a Tavern Keeper

Tavern Keepers donate $350 to provide for the upkeep, operations, and programs at the Wyman Tavern as well as other facilities of the Historical Society of Cheshire County.

In 1968 a group of community members acquired the Wyman Tavern to preserve it for its architectural value and its historical significance. It stands on what was once the center of the town and is among the oldest surviving houses in southwestern New Hampshire. Built in 1762, “Ye excellent Inne of Captain Wyman in Keene” was an important local institution for 30 years. Dartmouth College trustees under President Eleazar Wheelock had their first meeting in the northeast parlor on October 22, 1770. Captain Wyman, on April 22, 1775 led 29 minutemen on their march to Lexington from the front yard of his tavern. John Prentiss boarded there upon his arrival in 1799 to establish the New Hampshire Sentinel. Rev. Zedekiah Smith Barstow made his home there for 55 years and held a private school there. The most celebrated scholar educated in the building was Salmon Portland Chase, Governor of Ohio, Secretary of the Treasury in Lincoln’s cabinet, Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, and the face on the $10,000 bill.

As a Tavern Keeper, you will be recognized in the Historical Society’s newsletter, annual report, and website. You will be entitled to free admission at the Wyman Tavern Museum, and you will be invited to a Tavern Keepers celebration. Please make a difference for the Wyman Tavern in 2026 by becoming a Tavern Keeper.