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| Some of the townsfolk: Rick Griffin and Betty Moore |
HAMPTON –
On Saturday, October 13, with apple-crisp New England fall
weather setting the stage for an afternoon of food, fun, and local history,
downtown Hampton took on a festive spirit as the Old Salt, 401 Tavern, and the
Galley Hatch restaurants hosted the Hampton Historical Society’s Old Hampton
Tavern Walk.
More than 150 attendees, each taking the persona of an early
Hampton citizen, visited the three locations to learn how they had “sinned” and
to plead their cases before a “magistrate” who pronounced judgment and awarded
prizes. They enjoyed colonial foods prepared by the restaurant chefs, rum punch
from Sea Hagg Rum Distillery of North Hampton, mead from Sap House Meadery of
Center Ossipee, and pumpkin ale from Smuttynose Brewing Company of Portsmouth.
Silas the Double Agent and Olive the Tavern Wench from Portsmouth Underbelly
Tours were on hand to wickedly entertain in the Old Salt’s Goody Cole Room.
The Tavern Walk was also the launch of “A Meet and Suitable
Person: Tavernkeeping in Old Hampton, New Hampshire, 1638-1783″ by local author
Cheryl Lassiter, the book that prompted the Historical Society to put on the
event. Historical presenters, attired in period costumes provided by Tracy
Theatre Originals and Candace Stellmach, portrayed real-life characters from
the book as they talked about life in Hampton during the 17th and 18th
centuries.
“The Tavern Walk was truly a reflection of Cheryl’s book.
Part history, part adventure, and altogether a delight!” said Betty Moore, the
event’s coordinator and executive director of the Hampton Historical Society.
“We’d never done an event of this size out in the community before, and we
weren’t sure what to expect. We poured our hearts into making this a fun,
historical event for the town, and the response from the community was
incredible. It exceeded all our expectations. We thank the restaurants for
their hospitality, generosity, and enthusiasm. Along with our amazing
volunteers, they helped make the Old Hampton Tavern Walk a huge success.”
Story and photo provided by Cheryl Lassiter
