Longfellow's Wayside Inn in Sudbury, Massachusetts, is the most venerable of all the old historic taverns still operating in America. Built three hundred years ago by the How family, it has witnessed Indian affairs, colonial wars and the coming of the stagecoach, railroad and automobile. The poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow immortalized it in verse with his 1863 collection Tales of a Wayside Inn, suddenly making it a desired destination for travelers. Longfellow's romanticized description of the inn later so inspired Henry Ford that he purchased and restored the building and its surrounding three thousand acres. Join author Brian Plumb as he traverses the highways of New England's history to discover the stories of Longfellow's Wayside Inn.
Brian Plumb has had a close affiliation with the inn for well over twelve years. He is a fife player with the Sudbury Ancient Fife and Drum Company based at the inn, as well as a whistle and flute player with the Colonial Minstrels, the inn's resident colonial dance band. He performs there weekly. In 2009, he started the website howetavern.com to begin sorting and publishing his collection of material on the inn. Professionally, he serves as director of finance for a large energy company and holds an MBA and BSME.