History
Learn more about our Inn’s rich 300 year history with these key facts and dates:
1716
Concord’s Colonial Inn’s original structure was built.
One of the Inn’s original buildings was used as a storehouse for arms and provisions during the Revolutionary War. When the British came to seize and destroy the supplies, the Minutemen met them at the North Bridge on April 19 for what became the first battle of the American Revolution. The event is commemorated on Patriots’ Day every April with a parade near the Inn and a ceremony at the North Bridge.
Early 1800s
Parts of the Inn were used as a variety store and a residence.
The building was used as a boarding house and a small hotel named the Thoreau House after Henry David Thoreau’s aunts, the “Thoreau Girls.”
1835 – 1837
Thoreau resided here while he attended Harvard University.
The Inn as we know it today began operating. Situated on Concord’s town common, known as Monument Square, the Inn is surrounded by landmarks of our nation’s literary and revolutionary history.
1900
The property was given its current name, Concord’s Colonial Inn.
The Inn underwent a major expansion with the addition of the Prescott Wing, adding 32 new guest rooms and suites to the Inn’s original 16.
1970
The dining portion of Concord’s Colonial Inn was expanded significantly with the addition of the Merchant’s Row Dining Room.
The Inn was purchased by hotelier Jurgen Demisch.
2012
The Prescott Wing undergoes a top-to-bottom restoration.
The Inn was purchased by Michael and Dorothy Harrington of Beverly, Mass., who own it to this day.
2016
The Inn celebrated its 300th anniversary.
Concord celebrated 250 years since “the shot heard ‘round the world,” the start of the Revolutionary War in 1775.
For more on the Inn’s history, visit the Historic Hotels of America site.
We look forward to welcoming you!