Middletown in Lower Connecticut River Valley Region, Connecticut — The American Northeast (New England)

Bigelow Tavern

Photographed by Michael Herrick, May 18, 2016

1. Bigelow Tavern Marker

Inscription.
Near this spot in 1760 stood Timothy Bigelow's tavern, where travellers and local people gathered to drink rum, trade stories, and oonduct business. In 1776, Bigelow died suddenly, leaving his wife Elizabeth with four children to support. Widow Bigelow decided to operate the tavern herself.

It was not long before Mrs. Bigelow's political activities nearly put her out of business. The Revolutionary War had begun, and people in Middletown noticed that the Bigelow tavern seemed to be a meeting place for Tories (those who were loyal to Great Britain). Local citizens signed a petition claiming that Widow Bigelow had "entertain’d at unseasonable hours of the night known enemies” to the American cause, and demanded that she “bee restrained immediately from keeping Tavern.” Mrs. Bigelow must have mended her ways, for she continued to run her tavern for nearly four more decades.

Tavernkeeping was one of the few occupations open to women in the 1700s, when most females were limited to a career in housewifery (managing a home and raising children). In 1761, women operated three of Middletown’s eleven taverns.

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

Career Women In Early Middletown Although it was unusual, local women occasionally had other careers in the 18th century. In 1788, 25-year-old Elizabeth deKoven divorced her husband for desertion, and opened a store on Main Street selling luxury goods imported from Europe. The daughter of a wealthy merchant, deKoven had resources that most women of her time did not.

In the late 1700s and early 1800s, a handful of Middletown women were teachers, occasionally in the town's public schools (attended by both boys and girls) but more often in small private schools for "young ladies." Middletown's well-to-do families sent their daughters to such schools to learn needlework and painting in addition to academic subjects.

A Lost Neighborhood This open plaza was once a busy road called Center Street, which ran from Main Street east towards the river. In the early 1900s, Center Street became a thriving immigrant neighborhood, home to countless Italian families who came from the town of Melilli, Sicily. Several tenement houses lined the street, providing housing for the recent immigrants. The neighborhood was demolished in 1961 as part

Photographed by Michael Herrick, May 18, 2016

2. Bigelow Tavern Marker

of the city's redevelopment plan.
Center Street Tenements, etching by John Sweeney, 1948
Courtesy the Middlesex County Historical Society

Building on the Past Beside you stands Middletown's Police Headquarters, its architecture consciously echoing that of the former Municipal Building, which opened in 1893. For decades, Middletown citizens heard the bell in the Municipal Building's clocktower chime eighteen times at six o'clock each morning and evening, announcing the working day's beginning and end. The stately brownstone landmark stood on the west side of Main Street just opposite here until its demolition in 1961. The police station opened in 1999, Middletown's Municipal Building, 1893

Erected by the Middlesex County Historical Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Industry & Commerce.

Location. 41° 33.608′ N, 72° 38.95′ W. Marker is in Middletown in Lower Connecticut River Valley Region, Connecticut. It is at the intersection of Main Street and Court Street, on the right when traveling north on Main Street.

Paid Advertisement

Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 100 Main Street, Middletown CT 06457, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Connecticut River Valley

and on the Connecticut Shoreline.

It is also in the American Northeast,

in New England,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Middlesex County

and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Middletown in the 1600s (here, next to this marker); Middletown in the 1700s (a few steps from this marker); Middletown in the 1800s (a few steps from this marker); Middletown in the 1900s (a few steps from this marker); Middletown and the Connecticut River (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Old City Hall Bell (about 700 feet away); Russell Library (approx. 0.2 miles away); The UNESCO Slave Route Project (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Middletown.

More about this marker. Weather has affected the clarity of the text and pictures. The Middlesex County Historical Society generously aided in transcribing this marker.

Credits. This page was last revised on May 19, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 10, 2016, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut. This page has been viewed 707 times since then and 42 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 10, 2016, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut.