There aren’t many historical sites where you can get a great meal and a cold beer. You’re in one of them. The Tavern has been around since 1795. A gathering place for printers and politicians, sailors and students, it quickly became the most famous alehouse in the city. What was it about the Bell that made it so popular?

Maybe it was Jimmy Wilson, the first owner. Everybody in Boston knew Jimmy. Not that they had much choice. You see, Jimmy was Boston’s town crier for fifty years. Good news or bad, Bostonians heard it all from Jimmy. He reported on everything from the Boston Tea Party to the birth of the nation. When he retired, he decided to open a tavern. He was proud of his former occupation and that’s why he called the place the Bell-in-Hand.

Maybe it was the ale. Not one for “hard stuff”, Jimmy refused to sell the whiskey, rum and gin so popular in other taverns of the day. No, only ale would be served at the Bell, but what an ale! So thick, it was served in two mugs, one for the al