You are dining in an area full of early history of the one-hundredth town founded in the   Massachusetts Bay Colony, Westborough.  Incorporated in 1717, the area was once only inhabited by the Nipmuck Indians.

Powder Hill, directly across the highway from the 1790 House, was the center of town, where the first church stood surrounded by a small cluster of houses.

Here too stood the Wesson Tavern.  It became the stopping place for stage coaches, giving this area the name of Wessonville.  This tavern is where General Lafayette took

dinner and drink on his journey to Boston to lay the cornerstone of the Bunker Hill Monument.

This area became the popular stopping point along the Boston-Worcester route. This later became known as Willow Park because of the grove of willow trees planted here.

On the front lawn of the 1790 House is a Connecticut sandstone mile marker. Once commonly thought of as a grave stone marker, history shows that this marker is actually an original mile maker placed here in 1810.

Benjamin Franklin was a postmaster general for the colonies at this time.  Historical accounts report that Franklin attached an ingenious device, a mechanical odometer and attached it to a wheel on his wagon. This counted the revolutions of the wheel thus indicating each mile traveled, marking each mile with wooden stakes on Post Road. A second wagon crew followed him, replacing the stakes with the engraved markers, each one inscribed appropriately for its location.

Also 1810, Route Nine, the first turnpike in the country was built. During the construction, the 1790 House was moved for it was resting on what is now the Boston-Worcester road.

The 1790 House stands in the tradition of that long-vanished tavern, offering rest and refreshment to the traveler, halfway along the route between Boston and Worcester.

Today, the 1790 House has eight working fireplaces and boasts over fifteen rooms.

This Federal home is a typical “Country Estate” characterized the original high ceilings and the absence of exposed beams.

The 1790 House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the United States. And each of our unique fireplace surrounds were crafted differently by the carpenters who built the house. Each of these are documented in architectural detail in the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C..

We welcome you the 1790 Restaurant and Tavern with the same tradition of offering the rest and refreshment to the traveler passing by.

The 1790 House Restaurant Today

The 1790 was opened in spring of 1974 by Eric Pearson & Ralph Swedberg, their vision was to have a restaurant that would serve classic New England food and drink in a comfortable historic setting. After painstakingly restoring the building and grounds they scoured cookbooks for recipes that would bring out the natural freshness and flavor of the food they wanted to serve without ‘overdoing’ it. Their drinks were sturdy and well made in the classic fashion as well. They wanted the 1790 to be a haven for people looking for high quality food and drink at a reasonable price.

Today Eric Pearson’s son Kurt is the owner and he along with an excellent staff strive to carry on the tradition with this simple promise: “We will serve only the freshest, high quality ingredients from local suppliers and prepare them in a way that brings out the best in each dish. We employ people who are passionate and train them to deliver consistent service. We keep our prices affordable and make sure every guest receives exceptional service in a comfortable, relaxing, historical atmosphere".

Welcome to the 1790!

110% Guarantee: If you are not completely satisfied with your meal, we will make it right or refund you 110%. Period. Kurt Pearson, Owner