George Washington really stayed in Uxbridge?

In November 1789, after his election, President George Washington embarked on a tour of the United States. On his way to New York from Boston the President traveled through Mendon and Uxbridge on what was then known as the "Middle Road" between Hartford and Boston. Washington's original plan was to stay at the home of Colonel Phillip Amidon. But when the messenger arrived, and announced that the President was approaching and needed accommodations, Mrs. Amidon mistook the President for the President of Rhode Island College - a frequent visitor. Not feeling well that evening, she told the messenger to pass on to the next Inn, where better service could be provided.

Washington obliged and continued on to the Taft Tavern in North Uxbridge, where Samuel Taft and family were only too happy to accommodate the President of the United States. When Mrs. Amidon learned she had turned away the President of the United States, she is quoted as saying, "Bless me! The sight of him would have cured me of my illness and the best in my house should have been at his service." But the opportunity was lost, and Mendon has forever lived with the unwelcome distinction of being the town that wouldn't let Washington rest!

A few days later, the President took the unusual step of thanking Mr. Taft in a personal note: