{"nrhp_refnum":"76000241","name":"Groton Inn","other_names":["The Inn at Groton"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Groton","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.60692678600003,"lon":-71.56806101099994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1976-08-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story white clapboard inn on Main Street (Route 119) in the center of Groton, Massachusetts, made up of three joined historic buildings dating from the mid-18th century to 1840, with three outbuildings on the grounds.","why_significant":"The nomination cites its long history as an inn and its prominence as an architectural element in Groton's center. It is of particular interest because it combines three of the town's historic structures. It also served as a stagecoach stop, a Masonic meeting place and a gathering site for town affairs.","narrative":"Groton Inn occupies a gently sloping lot on Main Street in the center of Groton, Massachusetts, and anchors the town's local historic district. Though it looks like a single white clapboard building, it combines three older structures. The first was a half-house probably built in 1723 by Samuel Parker and enlarged in 1761 for Reverend Samuel Dana. A second building, probably the town's 1714 meeting house, was joined to the rear in the 1790s. A third, possibly the 1678 Richardson Tavern, was added in 1840 along with the porch. Use as an inn began around 1780 under Captain Jonathan Keep. The building later hosted St. Paul's Masonic Lodge from 1797 to 1847, served as a stagecoach stop at a junction of routes, and held town meetings, including the 1846 Railroad Meeting. Its register carried the names of presidents and authors. Outbuildings include a barn, an annex and a 1914 brick garage.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Form lists the property as occupied and in fair, altered condition, privately owned and commercial. A cover letter calls it endangered, and press clippings describe plans to re-open it under new owners.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:53.587912-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/71/7959/63795971/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/76000241.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76000241/ae03abde79-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76000241/ae03abde79-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Groton_Inn,_Groton_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">John Phelan</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Groton_Inn,_Groton_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795971","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groton_Inn","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14715497"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/groton-inn-76000241/"}