The Newcomb Tavern
Peter Newcomb came to Sandwich from Edgarton (Martha's Vineyard) in 1700 and built his house in 1703 at 8 Grove Street. The home later became known as the Newcomb Tavern and was the lodging establishment for dignitaries during the Revolutionary War. During the Revolutionary War and the years leading up to it, Sandwich firmly supported the Patriot cause and in 1773 at Town Meeting passed its “seven resolutions,” making known their opposition to the King. However, there were enough Tories in the Town to provoke disputes and discord and the Newcomb Tavern was well known as Sandwich’s Tory Tavern. Brigadier General Timothy Ruggles lived in Sandwich for many years and had become owner of the Tavern after his 1735 marriage to the widow Bathsheba Newcomb. In 1778, when Massachusetts published a list of the 300 most despicable Tories in the State, Timothy Ruggles was third on the list. He left Sandwich before the Revolution and when George Washington’s army forced the British evacuation of Boston, he fled Massachusetts for the British sanctuary of Nova Scotia.
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