Revolutionary history… with a difference

The Golden Ball Tavern Museum offers visitors a different perspective on the American Revolution. Our museum, housed in a historic Pre-Revolutionary home and tavern in Weston, Massachusetts, tells the other side of the story – that of the Loyalists during the War of Independence. Notably, the Museum is among only a handful of institutions in the country dedicated to bringing to life the Loyalist experience. The Tavern was opened in 1770 by Isaac Jones, a Loyalist (or Tory) who advocated compromise over conflict with Great Britain at considerable personal risk. He ultimately joined the Patriot cause and went on to make significant contributions to the new republic.

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The Museum also tells the story of the six generations of the Jones family - Isaac’s direct descendants - who lived here for nearly 200 years up until the 1960s. The original house and tavern (built by Isaac 1765-1768) have been preserved in ways that allow each generation’s stories to come to light by exposing the structural layers of change specific to each time period. More than 70 percent of the items in the Museum’s collections are original to the Jones family. The Museum is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is entirely self-sustaining.

Our Mission:

The mission of the Golden Ball Tavern Museum is to promote, protect and preserve this rich educational resource as well as to advance the understanding of both the Loyalist experience during the American Revolutionary War and the 200-year history that was lived here by one family.

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Events

Annual Events
Thursday Open House Tours at the Golden Ball Tavern Museum
Thursday Open House Tours at the Golden Ball Tavern Museum

Visit the museum on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for our weekly Open House Tours. No appointment necessary! Learn about the Jones family, the visits of General Gage’s spies and more. You can also view our newly commissioned sculpture by local artist, Paul Angiolillo, titled “Mightier Than the Sword”.

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Second Sunday Open House Tours
Second Sunday Open House Tours

Join us for our next Second Sunday Open House Tours on Sunday, June 8th. Tours will include our new exhibit “Spies Among Us” commemorating the 250th anniversary of General Gage’s spies visiting the museum in February of 1775.

Join us from 1-3 p.m. and learn about six generations of the Jones family living in this house for 200 years! Learn about the unique role that the tavern and Isaac Jones played during the Revolutionary War - including the visits from British Spies, Paul Revere’s men and a Weston Tea Party. See what it was like to live in the Colonial era - our museum is filled with hundreds of artifacts that belonged to the Jones family.

We offer Second Sunday Open House Tours every second Sunday of the month from 1-3 p.m. FEBRUARY to NOVEMBER. Join us for our free, family friendly, public Open House Tours featuring 25 minute tours. In December we have a special week-long holiday event. Dates are occasionally subject to change. Please check our website for any updates!

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New Exhibit: "Spies Among Us"
New Exhibit: "Spies Among Us"

"Spies Among Us" will open on Thursday, February 6th at 10 a.m. during the museum’s first Thursday opening hours. We will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on February 6th and will be open every Thursday going forward from 10-4. We will also showcase the exhibit during our February Second Sunday Open House on Sunday, February 9th from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

The exhibit will recall the story of General Gage's spies who visited the Tavern in 1775, explore examples of espionage on both sides, and examine the many ways of spying that were used during the American Revolution.

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Golden Ball Tavern Tours

Visit Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for guided tours. Last admission 3.30 p.m.

Visit during a Second Sunday Open House. These are held on the second Sunday of each month from 1-3 pm, January through November, as weather permits.

Visit during our annual Barn Sale - self-guided tours with guides in the house to answer your questions. Our Barn Sale takes place on the last Saturday in September every year.

Our Holiday Open House Event is normally held during the first week of December each year.

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See what people are saying on TripAdvisor!

Check us out on TripAdvisor to see what people are saying about their time at the Golden Ball Tavern Museum. If you have visited us before, please consider leaving us a review!