Tag: August 30

Paul Ellis' tavern, situated on the Norfolk and Bristol Turnpike between Boston to Providence (now Washington st), brought stagecoach passengers and their drivers to his door and tap room regularly. A large hook on a post in front of the tavern allowed drivers to throw their reigns over easily when they arrived and also became an easy place to hang mail or other articles without needing to stop, saving the drivers time. Soon, drivers started calling the tavern "The Hook" and before long the nickname was applied to the area around Norwood's present Town Square. This article goes into more detail about the history of the Tavern and mentions some of the events that occurred there, including a gruesome murder/suicide (which will be the subject of an article on this page a few days from now) and a visit from a US President. The structure was known by many names over the years, including "Ellis' Tavern", "Hartshorn's Tavern", "The South Dedham Inn", "Norwood House" and "The Norwood Hotel". The Tavern was moved on #thisdayinnorwoodhistory in 1913 to the intersection of Nahatan st and Broadway, approximately where Santander Bank is today. The construction of the George T Lee Bridge and the extension of Nahatan st under the railroad tracks wouldn't happen until 1935, over 20 years later.