The Norwich Inn – Jasper Murdock’s Alehouse

Jasper Murdock’s Alehouse is the pub and on-site microbrewery at the Norwich Inn, a historic inn on Main Street in Norwich, near Dartmouth College and the Upper Valley. An inn has stood on the site since 1797, when Colonel Jasper Murdock built a stagecoach tavern and hostelry that served generations of New England travelers. It became the first Vermont tavern to host a sitting U.S. president when James Monroe visited in July 1817. A fire in December 1889 destroyed the original building, and the current Victorian structure, with its wraparound porch and central turret, was rebuilt on the same foundation in 1890. The building has gone by several names over the years, including the Union House and the Newton Inn. Today the inn combines guest rooms, a wine cellar and the alehouse. Local legend holds that the inn and town inspired the TV show Newhart.