Tami Dowd bought the Dowds’ Country Inn in 1989 from Mary Bowden. Her goal was to take this beautiful home & open it up to locals & travelers alike, providing a true home-away-from-home experience. Over the years, she and her family expanded the business, and the Inn began hosting weddings, conferences, company parties, private dinners and more.

The Latham House Tavern began another step in that journey, bringing the same simple model of comfort, genuine hospitality, and friendly service to our dining room.

The Tavern is a place where people from all walks of life can come and enjoy good food, good beer, and have a darn good time. We aim to provide the best local products at the most affordable prices possible, and have fun doing it. We look forward to being around for many more years and to building new relationships with the Lyme community and the greater Upper Valley.

We are frequently asked, “Why the Latham House Tavern?” The Dowds’ Country Inn is historically the Latham House. According to the Lyme Historians, who chronicle & preserve the history of our hometown, the Latham House has hosted prominent players in Lyme Plain’s history since its beginning, starting with Jonathan Conant. Conant purchased 47 acres of what would eventually become Lyme village, including the site where Dowds’ Country Inn and Latham House Tavern sit today. In 1793, Conant sold the property to Arthur Latham, who built this house.                    

Arthur Latham, considered the wealthiest man in town, was described by a local writer as having “a kind heart, sterling character, and was honored and trusted far and near.” He married Mary Post, daughter of Peter Post (for which Post Pond was named) and opened a store in Lyme Center with his cousin. The store eventually moved to Main Street where it is located today.

The house would stay in the Latham Family until Dr. Abraham Dickey purchased it in 1863. In 1891, it sold to Henry Holt, a Lyme Center Innkeeper whose daughter, Sarah, ran a gift shop here called “The Silver Lining.” The sign from that shop now adorns the wall of the Carriage House inside the Dowds’ Country Inn. Holt was to be the first to cultivate extensive gardens on the property, and today some of those gardens provide the vegetables on your plate. In 1959, the Latham House would be purchased by Frank Barry, who would run it as “The Colony Inn” until he sold it to Mary Bowden as a private residence in 1960.