This wintry scene depicts Monument House, which stood on the southwest corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Muzzey Street. Built in 1802 by Amos Muzzey, Monument House was not only the most popular tavern in Lexington, but it also served as a community gathering place, hosting numerous town functions such as public dances and dinners. Benjamin Muzzey inherited Monument House from his father and in 1847, replaced it with Lexington House, a large hotel meant to capitalize on the influx of visitors brought to town by the Lexington and West Cambridge Railroad, which had opened the previous year. The hotel burned down in 1892 and was rebuilt and operated as the Leslie Hotel until the 1900s, when it changed hands and became the Paul Revere Tavern. The building was torn down in 1929 in order to make way for a new structure which housed the Lexington Trust Company. Since then, it has been home to Shawmut Bank and is now a Santander Bank. The plaque on the frame states “Monument House 1888, Mass Ave. at Muzzey St. Courtesy of the Depositors Trust Co., 1972.”
Philip Brown Parsons (1896-1977) was born in West Medford, Massachusetts and attended the Boston School of Painting and the Child-Walker School of Art in Boston. While there, he studied with pupils of Howard Pyle, a notable artist and illustrator of the late 19th century. Parsons painted mainly landscapes and sporting images, and he also worked as an illustrator, creating covers for magazines such as National Sportsman, Hunting and Fishing and Outdoors. Parsons lived in Lexington for over 40 years and was the President of the Lexington Arts and Crafts Society, as well as a member of the Guild of Boston Artists.