Formerly: Hynes Tavern · Codman-era tavern operation
Freeport, Maine · Founded 1801 · Building: 1795
A former Freeport tavern in a 1795 house, remembered for a contested statehood legend and closed as Jameson Tavern in 2024.
Jameson Tavern operated at 115 Main Street in Freeport until closing in November 2024. The present house was built in 1795, according to the Freeport Historical Society, and Captain Samuel Jameson converted it to a tavern after purchasing it in 1801. A DAR plaque and generations of retellings call it the "Birthplace of Maine," but Freeport Historical Society research found no record that the 1820 commissioners met there.
The present house at 115 Main Street is built for Dr. John Anglier Hyde, according to the Freeport Historical Society.
Source: Portland Press Herald, "Freeport's Jameson Tavern closes, cutting ties with its historic location," November 22, 2024, reporting Freeport Historical Society research
Captain Samuel Jameson purchases the property and converts the house into a tavern.
Source: Portland Press Herald, "Freeport's Jameson Tavern closes, cutting ties with its historic location," November 22, 2024, citing historian Earle Shettleworth
The tavern is later associated with a claim that Maine-separation commissioners signed papers there, but Freeport Historical Society research found no record that commissioners met in Freeport.
Source: Portland Press Herald, "Freeport's Jameson Tavern closes, cutting ties with its historic location," November 22, 2024; Portland Press Herald, "Freeport's motto a myth, experts say," February 20, 2013
Richard Codman purchases the tavern and continues tavern operations.
Source: Portland Press Herald, "Freeport's Jameson Tavern closes, cutting ties with its historic location," November 22, 2024, citing historian Earle Shettleworth
Demand for lodging in Freeport declines and the property later reverts to residential use.
Source: Portland Press Herald, "Freeport's Jameson Tavern closes, cutting ties with its historic location," November 22, 2024, citing historian Earle Shettleworth
New owners restore the building and revive food-and-drink service at the site.
Source: Portland Press Herald, "Freeport's Jameson Tavern closes, cutting ties with its historic location," November 22, 2024
Jameson Tavern permanently closes at 115 Main Street; owner Tom Hincks retains rights to the business name.
Source: Portland Press Herald, "Freeport's Jameson Tavern closes, cutting ties with its historic location," November 22, 2024; WGME, "Historic Jameson Tavern in Freeport to close its doors Saturday," November 20, 2024
Every claim gets rated. A business's own website can never earn "documented."
A DAR plaque and later tradition repeat the claim, but the Freeport Historical Society says it found no record that commissioners met in Freeport. Historian Earle Shettleworth likewise reported no evidence that the Maine-separation papers were signed at the tavern.
The 1779 date appears in property records associated with the lot, but Freeport Historical Society research, as reported by the Portland Press Herald, dates the present house to 1795. The candidate improperly treated the lot date as the building date.
The Portland Press Herald, citing historian Earle Shettleworth, reports that Jameson bought the property in 1801 and converted it into a tavern. This pass did not inspect the underlying deed, license, account book or city directory.
Historical reporting says lodging demand declined by 1844 and that the building eventually reverted to a residence. Tavern and restaurant service was revived by new owners in 1988, so continuous operation from 1801 is not supported.
Longfellow's Bowdoin attendance is historically established, but this review found no Bowdoin diary, correspondence, account book, newspaper, tavern record or other evidence showing that he regularly visited Jameson Tavern. The candidate's claimed student-diary evidence was not substantiated.
Multiple Maine news outlets reported the permanent closure of Jameson Tavern at the historic Freeport location in November 2024. Tom Hincks said that he retained the name rights, while the restaurant's physical tie to the building ended.
Jameson Tavern was built in 1779.
The 1779 date is associated with property records for the lot. Freeport Historical Society research dates the present house at 115 Main Street to 1795.
Source: Portland Press Herald, "Freeport's Jameson Tavern closes, cutting ties with its historic location," November 22, 2024
Maine's statehood papers were signed at Jameson Tavern in 1820.
The claim is commemorated by a DAR plaque and repeated in tourism material, but Freeport Historical Society says it found no record that commissioners met in Freeport, and historian Earle Shettleworth found no evidence the documents were signed at the tavern.
Source: Portland Press Herald, "Freeport's Jameson Tavern closes, cutting ties with its historic location," November 22, 2024; Portland Press Herald, "Freeport's motto a myth, experts say," February 20, 2013
Jameson Tavern operated continuously from the early nineteenth century until 2024.
The tavern became residential after the mid-nineteenth-century decline in lodging demand. New owners restored the building and resumed food-and-drink service in 1988.
Source: Portland Press Herald, "Freeport's Jameson Tavern closes, cutting ties with its historic location," November 22, 2024
Jameson Tavern is still operating at 115 Main Street.
Jameson Tavern permanently closed at the historic Freeport location in November 2024. The restaurant name rights remained with former operator Tom Hincks, while the historic space moved to a different tenant.
Source: Portland Press Herald, "Freeport's Jameson Tavern closes, cutting ties with its historic location," November 22, 2024; WGME, "Historic Jameson Tavern in Freeport to close its doors Saturday," November 20, 2024
This field is retained only for archival context. The historic building hosted tavern operations during the nineteenth century, later became residential, and regained a food-and-drink role in 1988. The Jameson Tavern business did not survive its 2024 lease and cost pressures at the historic site; a different business subsequently occupied the space.
No. Jameson Tavern permanently closed at 115 Main Street in Freeport in November 2024. The Portland Press Herald reported that owner Tom Hincks retained rights to the Jameson Tavern name, but the business ended its tie to the historic building.
The Freeport Historical Society dates the present house at 115 Main Street to 1795, when it was built for Dr. John Anglier Hyde. The often-repeated 1779 date refers to property records for the lot, not a verified construction date for the house.
Captain Samuel Jameson bought the 115 Main Street house in 1801 and converted it into a tavern, according to historian Earle Shettleworth as quoted by the Portland Press Herald. The business did not operate continuously to the present, because the building later reverted to residential use before restaurant service resumed in 1988.
A DAR plaque and longstanding local tradition identify Jameson Tavern as the place where Maine-separation papers were signed in 1820. Freeport Historical Society research found no record that the commissioners met in Freeport, and historian Earle Shettleworth said there is no evidence the papers were signed there.
There is no verified evidence in the sources reviewed that Longfellow was a frequent Jameson Tavern patron. His attendance at Bowdoin College does not by itself prove travel to Freeport or use of the tavern.
115 Main St, Freeport, ME 04032
(207) 865-4196
Closed as Jameson Tavern at this address in November 2024; do not publish as an active Still Open America venue.