{"nrhp_refnum":"74000383","name":"Cobb's Tavern","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"41 Bay Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Sharon","county":"Norfolk County","state":"MA","lat":42.13746206400003,"lon":-71.14896788299995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-08-07","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Communications","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A colonial tavern building at 41 Bay Road in Sharon, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, built about 1740 and enlarged in the early 1800s by Jonathan Cobb. It sits on about three-quarters of an acre beside the Old Bay Road.","why_significant":"The tavern served as a stagecoach stop, store and the first U.S. Post Office in Sharon (1819), and it hosted Masonic meetings, musical societies, circuses and bicycle clubs. It is the last surviving building of an original tavern complex and represents New England Colonial construction.","narrative":"Cobb's Tavern, at 41 Bay Road in Sharon, Massachusetts, dates from about 1740 and is the only building left from a larger complex that once included barns and a blacksmith shop. It has a ridge roof, clapboard walls, a central chimney and a dry stone foundation. Jonathan Cobb added a two-story south wing in the early 1800s, with a brick end wall, and a carriage shed extends beyond it. Inside, a 15-foot pine bar and a small post office writing desk survive in the tap room. Cobb bought the property for use as a stagecoach stop and store, and in 1819 it became Sharon's first U.S. Post Office, when he was appointed postmaster. It stood on the Old Bay Road, an early route between Boston and Taunton. Over time it also hosted a Masonic lodge, the Old Stoughton Musical Society, traveling circuses and the Boston Bicycle Club. It closed to the public in 1895 and is now a private residence.","period_of_significance":"18th and 19th centuries (specific date 1740)","architect_builder":"Jonathan Cobb (built the early 1800s south addition)","architectural_style":"New England Colonial","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as occupied, in good condition, with present use as a private residence; the building is altered but on its original site.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.680055-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/18/7964/63796418/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/74000383.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74000383/5e257d39f4-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74000383/5e257d39f4-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SharonMA_CobbsTavern.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">User:Magicpiano</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SharonMA_CobbsTavern.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63796418","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobb%27s_Tavern","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5138740"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/norfolk-county/cobbs-tavern-74000383/"}