Munroe Tavern

British field hospital during the retreat from Concord, later a dinner stop for George Washington

Munroe Tavern, built in 1695, stands at the eastern end of Lexington, about a mile from the Battle Green on the original road to Boston. It served as a British field hospital on April 19, 1775, when the battered Regulars retreated from Concord past Lexington under sustained fire from the local militia.

The building is now a museum operated by the Lexington Historical Society, with exhibits on both the Revolutionary period and George Washington's 1789 visit. Open May through October; combined tickets with Buckman Tavern and Hancock-Clarke House are available.

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A story
On the afternoon of April 19, exhausted and harassed British troops used Munroe Tavern as a field hospital and rest stop on their retreat back to Boston. The innkeeper William Munroe had wisely hidden his valuables in a haystack. Fourteen years later, George Washington stopped here for dinner while on a tour of New England — and the tavern has kept the table and chairs from that meal.

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