The Royal Exchange Tavern, State Street
The famous remark of Louis XIV., "There are no longer any Pyrenees," may perhaps be open to criticism, but there are certainly no longer any taverns in New England. It is true that the statutes of the Commonwealth continue to designate such houses as the Brunswick and Vendome as taverns, and their proprietors as innkeepers; yet we must insist upon the truth of our assertion, the latter of the law to the contrary notwithstanding.
No words need be wasted upon the present degradation which the name of tavern implies to polite ears. in most minds it is now associated with the slums of the city, and with that particular phase of city life only, so all may agree that, as a prominent feature of society and manners, the tavern has had its day. The situation is easily accounted for. The simple truth is, that, in moving on, the world has left the venerable institution standing in the eighteenth century; but it is equally true that, before that time, the history of any civilized people could hardly be written without making great mention of it. With the disappearance of the old signboards our streets certainly have lost a most picturesque feature, at least one avenue is closed to art, while a few very a ged men mourn the loss of something endeared to them by many pleasant recollections.
The above, taken from Walter K. Watkins' 1917 work, Old Boston Taverns and Tavern Clubs, only makes me think we had lost our way terribly indeed somewhere there in the midst of the industrial revolution. Long live the tavern!
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