In days of old, when the world was younger, the Tavern was a little different than it is today. There was a pot-bellied stove to the right as you entered the dining room. It was supposed to help heat the big room, along with the fireplace on the west end. But the northeast wind would blow clouds of smoke back down through the chimneys and drive the red-eyed diners back out into the cold winter's night.
There was also a bar and stools along the counter at the front of the dining room. You could order coffee and pie or chowder -- even lunch and dinner for that matter. It was great fun to sit there and watch the chef's work. All the regulars sat there.
Over time and Captain Douglas' drawings on many napkins, the tavern as we know it now emerged on the shore of Vineyard Haven Harbor. In 1971, the small gambrel roofed building started to take shape. Capt. Douglas changed the angles and played with the placement of the windows, added dormers, and held it all down with a large red brick chimney.
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