William Conkey built this tavern in Pelham, Massachusetts, in 1758. These were popular gathering places for discussing local affairs and politics and it is said that the Pelham town officers were chosen here and then ratified by the vote of the town meeting. The “Regulators” met here during Shays’ Rebellion (1786-1787). Following the Revolutionary War, the value of money in Massachusetts plummeted and new state taxes were instituted. This left many Western Massachusetts farmers destitute. Farmer and Revolutionary War veteran Daniel Shays rallied fellow farmers and sympathizers such as Conkey, known as Regulators, to close the courts and attack the state armory. The tavern was torn down in 1880, but visitors to the American Museum in Bath, England, can see a reproduction of the tavern and view related surviving artifacts.
The Old Conkey Tavern. Press of Carpenter & Moorehouse, 1896. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l08-013/. Accessed on October 16, 2024.
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