In the quiet town of Stockbridge, Massachusetts, stands the Red Lion Inn, a place where Revolutionary ideals found expression long before independence was declared. According to tradition, the inn dates back to the early 1700s, and by the time of the Revolution it was firmly established as a gathering place for townspeople, travelers, and patriots.
In 1773, Silas Pepoon expanded the inn as a public house, christening it the Red Lion. That same year, Britain passed the Intolerable Acts, sparking outrage across Massachusetts. Stockbridge residents, like their counterparts in Boston, gathered at the inn to protest. Meetings there became a focal point for local dissent, giving voice to grievances against imperial authority.
Western Massachusetts was far from Boston, but patriot fervor ran deep in the Berkshires. Taverns like the Red Lion served as conduits for news from the east, with riders and messengers carrying information about Parliament’s latest edicts or the mobilization of militia companies. From the Red Lion, resolutions were passed and neighbors rallied one another in the cause of liberty.
Though it has seen fires and reconstructions, the Red Lion Inn has remained a central institution in Stockbridge for more than 250 years. Its Revolutionary roots are part of what gives it enduring significance: it was a place where ordinary citizens took extraordinary steps to stand against tyranny.
The inn today blends hospitality with history, allowing visitors to experience a site that once stood at the heart of Revolutionary activism in the Berkshires. For MA250, the Red Lion Inn offers a reminder that the Revolution was not just Boston’s story, but a movement that united communities from east to west.
In raising a glass or staying overnight, guests connect with a legacy of resistance that helped shape the American story. The Red Lion Inn proves that the Revolution’s fire burned brightly even in the quiet valleys of western Massachusetts.
