Since the 1830’s a tavern has stood at Cambridge Junction. The first tavern located at the junction was operated by Charles Blackmar, who hosted the traveling public in his log cabin home. The second tavern was operated by Calvin Snell, who in 1836 built a frame Greek Revival style tavern. He subsequently sold to Sylvester Walker and his wife Lucy, of Cooperstown New York. In 1853 he built the Brick Tavern looking to expand his prosperous business. Originally the building served as a hotel and community center serving both travelers and the local population near the junction. The tavern’s use as a hotel declined as the railroad, which did not pass through the junction, gained importance as the preferred means of travel. With the advent of the automobile and the resurgence of the highway’s importance in the 1920’s, the hotel became an important tourist stop. In 1922 Frederic Hewitt purchased the old hotel and began operating it as a combined museum, restaurant and antiques shop. He relied upon the history of the building to draw tourists and local residents to his very successful enterprise.