Opening Day at Parker Tavern

Explore historic exhibits, gardens, and local lore every Sunday through October

Reading, MA — Beginning on Sunday, May 4, Parker Tavern will open for the season. Every Sunday from May to October, from 2:00 to 5:00 pm, the Tavern will welcome you. Come for a tour, explore the gardens and grounds, or visit the current exhibit.

On May 4, we will unveil a special exhibit featuring Reading farm-related items, including early advertisements, Reading-specific glass milk bottles, and farm equipment.

Although it is hard to imagine today’s suburban Reading as a farming and agricultural community, like most towns before 1900, it was. What did our farmers raise? It could have been dairy cows, poultry, vegetables, or landscaping plants in nurseries. Back in the 1950s, you could purchase Reading-grown vegetables at the Hopkins Farm stand (also known as Hoppy’s) at the corner of Main and Hopkins Street (now a gas station); the only produce they sold but didn’t raise was apples. The entire staff was comprised of local lads — high school and college boys who planted, weeded, harvested, and tended the vegetable stand. Additionally, many people still had milk delivered to their homes in glass bottles (recycling was done way ahead of its time!). In addition, a few still owned horses, including two families on Forest Street near Grove.

Curious if your house stands on former farmland? Come look at some old maps of Reading and compare it to a list of farms. Or tell us your memories of farms here in Reading. Have you been told stories of what was on your property before your house was built?

As you enjoy the exhibit, be sure to also notice the Tavern’s gardens; many of its flowers and herbs were planted explicitly for cooking or medicinal purposes. And, as we learned at last November’s members’ meeting, the vegetable garden was vital to the family’s wellbeing. While some of this year’s crops were recently planted (beets, carrots, potatoes, peas), you can hear about some favored crops, like corn, squash, and beans, that will be planted soon.

If you haven’t read the series of articles on the Reading Post written by the RAS about Reading’s involvement in the events of the Revolutionary War, check them out. Be sure to keep your eyes and ears open over the next few years for the 250th celebrations in Massachusetts and elsewhere.

In addition to the Tavern’s Sunday season start, why not take in the following events that the Reading Antiquarian Society will be part of:

• May 4 Parker Tavern reopens from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.
• May 17 Reading Garden Club Plant Sale on the Common
• June 14 Friends and Family Day at Birch Meadow
• June 21 The Marquis de Lafayette returns to Reading!
• June 28 PorchFest at the Tavern and several other locations; bring folding chairs or blankets to enjoy the tunes in comfort

We hope to see you at the Tavern.