Historic downtown Inn revitalized (Monadnock Ledger-Transcript, August 11, 2011)
A bit of Hancock Inn trivia*
The Hancock Inn has been in operation since 1789. Was it always its name?
No, try: Eaton's Hotel, Fox Tavern, Hancock Hotel, John Hancock House, Jefferson Tavern, Patten's Tavern.
- "Squire Patten was a famous landlord. The Jefferson Tavern, sometimes called Patten's Tavern, was known far and near. It was especially noted for its delicious broiled steaks. Squire Patten personally cooked all the meats served in his tavern, and in this art he was considered a master."
- Squire Patten's rule was to put in fifty cords of the best rock maple each year for the tavern's requirement. [...] The first cookstove used in the Jefferson Tavern was installed... in 1857."
- "It will probably not be amiss to describe the ballroom, or dance hall, of the Jefferson Tavern. The room was one flight up and at the front of the building. It was heated by fireplaces and lighted by tallow candles suspended in pairs from the ceiling by means of crude chandeliers. There was a row of candles along the railing in front of the musicians. Frequently the Squire was obliged to replace candles as they burnt down during the evening. The ladies, with their fine silk gowns, must have been skillful in dodging the grease and hot tallow drip."
- When John Freeman Eaton took over the Jefferson Tavern property [ca. 1875] he found 'one devilish clutter of buildings. To keep all properly covered would put any man in the poor house.' Consequently, he proceeded to destroy and tear down fourteen buildings. It would seem that the old Squire had built a separate building for every purpose."
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- During Eaton's management the long-established policy of holding balls, masquerades and assemblies in the tavern was continued. Frequently as many as one hundred couples would dance and partake of the hot roast turkey supper which was generally served about midnight. The dancing, which would often continue until three or four in the morning, would include waltzes, polkas, the schottische, quadrilles, reels and other graceful steps. The dancers paid strict attention to the time of the music and were a very orderly lot of people. It was said that no woman would ever think of dancing with a man who had the odor of liquor about him."
- June 1974, the Irish Wolfhound Club of America annual show was attended by visitors from the United States and Canada. "Many wolfhound owners with their dogs spent a night or two at local inns and motels. Glynn Wells, owner of the John Hancock Inn, came to church that Sunday morning chuckling over the rare sight of his four-legged guests regally ascending and descending the inn's colonial staircase. The dogs, because of their tremendous size, astonished some fellow visitors and terrified others. Wolfhounds, however, are gentle, true aristocrats of the canine world."
*All quotes from "The second hundred years"
Published for the Town of Hancock, 1979
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Hancock Home Page - A Main Street Institution: The Hancock Market - The Hancock Inn
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