Above: The Nathan Green Farmhouse at 493 Baldwin Road, Constructed ca. 1760.

​Nathan Green was a Sergeant in Captain James Russell's Company in Colonel Brook's Regiment and was stationed in Dorchester with his brother Asa. After the war, Nathan returned to his farm at 493 Baldwin Road. He served as Selectman and from 1804-1819 and as Town Treasurer, and later succeeded in this role by his son, Nathan Jr.

Most of the historic Nathan Green farm remains undeveloped and was permanently protected through a conservation easement held by the Town of Carlisle. 

Nathan Green is buried in Carlisle's Green Cemetery.

The Revolutionary Tavern - 

In addition to owning the small farm on Bellows Hill Road, Nathan also served as proprietor of an establishment later known as the Revolutionary Tavern which he constructed on Stearns Street in 1759. The tavern doubled as a residence for Nathan's father John Green. Travelers from all over stayed at the establishment including Acadian refugees exiled by the British from New France (Canada). 

In the years leading up to the Revolution, Green, an indiscriminent businessman, had no issue with serving British Regulars who were out on parole. The soldiers regularly sat on benches underneath the old elms and drank and gambled with locals even as relations with the crown began to deteriorate by the 1770s. It seems as though intoxicating spirits had a way of healing even the most fervent political disputes if only for a fleeting moment. According to legend, the brazen colonists buried cannon balls and other munitions underneath the roots of the old elm trees, right below the feet of the unsuspecting British regulars who didn’t think to search their beloved watering hole. 

The Fight to Save the Tavern - 


By the turn of the last century, the tavern had fallen into a state of disrepair and the Stearns Family who owned the building sought to tear it down. A group of concerned residents, led by Martha F. Wilkins rallied to try to save the building. Mrs. Wilkins contacted the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (SPNEA), today known as Historic New England, in hopes that the organization would be willing to restore the house to serve as a museum. Mr. Lawrence Park, architect and President of the Society was impressed by the history of the building and in 1919 he commissioned detailed blueprints of the structure and took extensive photographs of the tavern. SPNEA even salvaged some of the original features including the ornate corner cupboard from the tap room. Sadly, the onset of the Great Depression made it impossible to raise funds for restoration and in 1934, the old tavern was finally torn down. However, some fittings including the unique staircase were removed and incorporated in the Moses Brewer House in Sudbury. The unfortunate loss of the tavern was a key catalyst for the establishment of the Carlisle Historical Society which has worked tirelessly over the past 90 years to preserve local landmarks and countless artifacts of Carlisle’s past. 

Above: The Revolutionary Tavern constructed by Nathan Green, pictured shortly before it's demolition in 1938.

Above: Nathan Green's signature as it appears on an old deed in the Historical Society's collection.

Above: Nathan Green's tricorne hat on display at the Carlisle Historical Society.

Above: Nathan Green's gravestone