~ The Lord Jeffery Inn, Amherst, Massachusetts ~
Built in 1926
Lord Jeffery Inn to become Inn on Boltwood
AMHERST — More than two years after Amherst College’s board of trustees pledged to change the name of the Lord Jeffery Inn, the college announced Monday that the property will be known as the Inn on Boltwood beginning in early 2019.
The new name for the college-owned inn, which opened June 3, 1926, makes clear its connections to Boltwood Avenue, but removes its associations with the 18th century commander-in-chief of the British forces during the French and Indian War, who historians say advocated for wiping out Native Americans by giving them blankets infected with smallpox.
Amherst College dropped the use of the Lord Jeffs as its unofficial mascot in 2016. Last year, the college unveiled Mammoths as the nickname and mascot for the college.
“The name is changing, but its beauty and impeccable level of service will remain the same,” Kevin Weinman, the college’s chief financial and administrative officer and president of the Amherst Inn Company, said in a statement. “The Inn on Boltwood will continue to proudly serve our local community, as well as welcome visitors to the town of Amherst and all that the town and area have to offer.”
The inn’s restaurant has been known as 30 Boltwood since 2012, when the property reopened following a $14 million renovation project.
The Lord Jeffery Inn is professionally managed by Waterford Hotel Group, a national hotel management firm. Its president, Michael Heaton, issued a statement describing the name change as another important chapter in the historic property’s story.
“We are proud to be affiliated with this beautiful inn, and we look forward to introducing it as the Inn on Boltwood early next year,” Heaton said.
Among famous guests of the inn were poet Robert Frost, a regular visitor, and poet Archibald MacLeish, who attended Frost’s 80th birthday in 1954.
The inn was the idea of Ernest M. Whitcomb, a 1904 Amherst College graduate, who led the effort to raise about $400,000 to build the original inn.
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