Mead's Tavern Workshop

Mead's Tavern. Photo: Friends of New London Museum. [1]

          As our class continues to study Mead’s Tavern, its historical characteristics can be used to display 18^th century architecture along with being used as a teaching tool for historic structure preservation. Recently, our class participated in a Mead’s Tavern workshop in which we were led on a tour by an architect familiar with Mead’s. During our tour, our host pointed out original materials and signs to look for when evaluating historical architecture. As the tour conclude, I realized there were a few things about Mead’s and its architecture I was unaware of. Learning how to properly analyze a historic structure proved significant during the workshop. Finally, learning about careers in public history, specifically related to historical architecture and preservation, provided insight into other career paths.

            As our host directed us to different areas of the building, I learned a few things about Mead’s Tavern that I was not aware of before the workshop. One feature was the removed staircase. Mead’s shows evidence in one of the second story floors of having had a staircase towards the back of the house. The evidence consists of a definitive line on the flooring thus proving possible patchwork occurred on the floor. Another feature was the original flooring in one of the second floor rooms. As you enter the room, the floor creaks and has visible slants and dips. The wood layout is also different when compared to the rest of the structure.

            Along with noticing new details about the tavern, the tour proved beneficial in that I learned how to properly conduct an architectural investigation of a historic structure. As our tour began, we started outside on the front porch. Starting outside allows the architect to examine the front porch and any external features that would provide clues as to when the structure was built. When we moved inside we began in the cellar and analyzed the original foundation that still remains. While moving from room to room, our host informed us she starts from the ceiling and works her way down. By applying these techniques, our class gained a basic understanding of how to conduct a historical structures investigation.

             Finally, the Mead’s Tavern workshop shed light on a different career path for history majors. While career opportunities for those interested in public history seems limited to purely museums, our workshop educated us on a field within public history that is not always promoted. Historical architecture and preservation is one way history majors can become involved in the public history sector. Before the workshop, I did not consider historic structure preservation as a possible career path for a history major, but after participating at Mead’s Tavern, historic structure preservation is something I will look into as a future career in public history.

            My experience during the Mead’s Tavern workshop allowed me to better understand historic structures and how to properly analyze a historic structure. As I continue working towards the field of public history, I will apply the skills and techniques I learned from the workshop to my future experiences with historic structures.


[1]  Mead's Tavern, 2015, New London Museum, accessed September 10, 2016, http://www.newlondonmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Meads-Tavern-photo1.jpg.