Tour the Putnam House, See The Damon Tavern’s Rufus Porter Murals on Memorial Day

The North Reading Historical and Antiquarian Society and North Reading Historical Commission will host open houses at the Rev. Daniel Putnam House and Damon Tavern on Memorial Day.

The two groups will open the doors to the two historic Bow Street buildings an hour before the Memorial Day Parade and they will be open an hour after the parade.

Drop by to tour the Putnam House and see military items, including a monument dedicated to the men who lost their lives in a B-17 bomber accident in North Reading in 1942.

You’re also invited to drop by the Damon Tavern, a one-time inn and stagecoach stop, and see the three inn rooms that were recently refurbished and furnished to look like 19th century inn rooms. Local historians have laid out the rooms with period furniture and items, including many that came from North Reading families.

The Historical Commission will also open the Damon Tavern ballroom so people can take a glimpse at the 19th century Rufus Porter murals. The doors will be open so that you can see the ballroom, which has been closed to the public for more than 20 years, and marvel at the 19th century murals.