LEXINGTON, Mass. — As we get ready to commemorate America’s 250th, one Massachusetts town has already been celebrating.
Lexington is home to where the first shots of the American Revolutionary War were fired in 1775.
There’s an historic inn that sits steps from the Lexington Battle Green that was restored to welcome visitors while honoring its past.
“We love our history here in Lexington,” said Trisha Perez Kennealy, owner of the Inn at Hastings Park.
But Trisha Perez Kennealy knew her town was missing something.
“The birthplace of American liberty, we no longer had an inn,” said Kennealy. “There had been inns in Lexington, and I felt it was something that the community needed, and it was a great intersection with my interest and passion about food.”
A trained chef, Kennealy purchased these three 19th-century buildings in 2010. She worked tirelessly with the historic commission to restore them and created a luxury inn with 22 rooms, a restaurant, and bar.
“This type of New England hospitality was actually critical during the Revolution, right?” said Kennealy. “And it’s all about community and about providing spaces for people to come together to enjoy one another’s company, but also to exchange ideas.”
With every turn, each detail at the Inn at Hastings Park was meticulously thought out, including the name.
It honors Mariah Hastings Carey—a prominent woman in Lexington in the 1800s who made the first donation to the Lexington Public Library. The park across from the inn was created in her memory.
“A woman-owned business, that it was really an incredible link, and then the park itself was built in her honor by the women of the Lexington Field and Garden Club, which is the oldest field and garden club in the country,” said Kennealy.
“So it was a way to pay tribute to prior generations of women in Lexington.”
The Inn’s location is enticing to visitors as it’s central to American history with the Battle of Lexington reenacted outside the front steps every Patriots’ Day.
“To steal some words from Hamilton, they want to be in the room where it happened,” said Kennealy. “And this is where it all began.”
And Paul Revere’s ride took him past the main house—which was a private residence for a descendant of one of Lexington’s first families—the Isaac Mulliken House and Barn—a local politician and carpenter.
“Throughout New England, there are a lot of grandfather clocks that are Mulliken clocks, so those were built by the Mulliken family,” said Kennealy.
The Inn at Hastings Park has seen guests from all fifty states and over fifty countries—but Kennealy encourages Massachusetts residents to experience what’s in their own backyard.
“We’re really, really lucky to live in the United States of America and to be able to sit there and be able to experience and be reminded again, it’s really, really important,” said Kennealy.
The Inn at Hastings Park always hosts a Paul Revere dinner the night before Patriots’ Day. Not only is it gearing up for America’s 250th, but it also has special events planned for the World Cup and the tall ships this summer.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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