90 OXFORD
ROAD Washband (Washburn) Tavern
1714 (1976 #72, WPA #38)
At number 90, on the east side of Oxford Road, is
the Washband or Washburn Tavern. Originally it was
a small, one-story and
attic dwelling built by John
Twitchell in 1714.
Around 1741,
the Washburn family purchased the
property, enlarged the house, and began to operate a
tavern. A larger addition, actually another house, was added around 1794, coinciding with the
opening of the Oxford Turnpike which brought many travelers and
trade to and from the Port of New Haven.
This second addition was
set at the same angle as
the old one
built in the best style, with plank siding
to make it warm and strong
. Back of the front room
was the bar room,
extending the length
of the house
the bar proper being at the
east end
and somewhat secluded by a little partition
.
The house contained seventeen rooms, nine below and eight
above so that many could be accommodated at one time. A large ballroom on the second floor doubled
as a
dormitory during the busy season. These architectural features are still evident today.
The Washburn family lived in the
house for at least four generations, successfully operating the
tavern.
Nearby fields provided pens for livestock being driven to market.
While travelers were
expected
to provide their own
food
and food for their animals, cider brandy was produced at the taverns own mill and sold at six cents a glass. Rowdy teamsters who had
over-indulged
presented a problem.
One of the innkeepers, remembered as Aunt Tury, returned upstairs at bedtime
with a horsewhip to silence a troublemaker. Since that
young man was a giant, his friends threatened to broadcast
that hed been punished by a smaller person and a woman
at that if he didnt pay for a ready supply of alcohol at
future stops on their journey.
The house played a role in the Civil War as a station on the Underground Railroad. Runaway slaves are
said to have hidden in the cellar.
A massive elm tree that stood to the north
of the house served
as
the boundary between the Native Americans of Chusetown
(now Seymour) and those
of Woodbury before white settlers arrived and in colonial times.
Today the Washburn Tavern is owned by Nancy Daoud and
is home to Opus: Advice First, a private wealth
advisory
practice.
.