The Jameson Tavern in Freeport in 2019. John Patriquin / Portland Press Herald file photo

Saturday night, inside of Jameson Tavern, a boisterous crowd of longtime patrons sat at the bar one final time. Waitresses hustled around the group — half of whom were standing — to the filled tables on the floor. Many were wearing green T-shirts with the Jameson Tavern logo on it.

A crowd of long-time Jameson Tavern fans gathered at the bar one final time, sporting T-shirts that Freeport resident Bill Gilman (middle) had made up a month ago. Kristian Moravec / The Times Record

“It’s sad, very sad,” said longtime patron and Freeporter Bill Gilman. Gilman was the mastermind behind the T-shirts, which also feature a series of tongue-in-cheek sayings and phrases that are posted around the bar. “I mean, the building is always going to be here, but … it’s not going to be the same. It’s not going to have the Jameson name.”

The restaurant, located in a historic building at 115 Main St. in Freeport, closed permanently after Saturday. The landmark restaurant was the continuation of a long tradition of taverns hosted in the space, but between the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and an “expensive lease,” owner Tom Hincks said it is time for change.

“The era had come and gone, it’s time to go,” Hincks said. ” … It was a wonderful thing, until COVID hit.”

He noted that post-lockdown it was hard to find sufficient staff for the restaurant. On top of this, the owner said that the lease was up, giving the business the right opportunity to leave. Though Hincks said he had an option to re-sign, the cost of the monthly rent paired with other monthly fees needed to run the business in its current spot amounted to over $17,000 a month. The lease accounts for just under half of this total.

Though the lease did not increase a significant amount this year — Hincks noted it only increases the standard 3% each year, a typical hike in the property rental industry — the restaurant said the rent had increased over 30% since it reopened in 2013. The cost alone was a signal to start over, he said.

Bill Gilman made Jameson Tavern shirts in anticipation of the closing. The tees have a slew of lighthearted slogans on the back, including “I don’t wear glasses, I empty them” and “Sarcasm, just one more service we offer here.” Kristian Moravec / The Times Record

Now, the owner has his sights set on Windham for its next location, which is closer to his home. He also hinted that a spot in Windham could be better for business, as he expects to get more square footage and similar foot traffic.

With the closing, however, Jameson Tavern — a name which Hincks owns the rights to and will take with him to the next location — breaks its tie with the historic Freeport building.

Though some of the history is debated, the house at 115 Main St. was built in 1795 by Dr. John Anglier Hyde, according to the Freeport Historical Society. (The tavern’s sign touts the year 1779, which is the year referenced in property records of the lot, not the house.) The property was then sold to Capt. Samuel Jameson in 1801. Jameson converted the building into a tavern, according to an account by Maine Historian Earle Shettleworth, which is available on the Freeport Historical Society’s website. Shettleworth said Capt. Richard Codman bought the business in 1828, continuing tavern operations.

Due to its location, this tavern relied on travelers as its customer base, Shettleworth said. But by 1844, the demand for lodging in town fell. The building eventually reverted back to a residential property. In 1988, new owners restored the building and revived the tradition of providing food and drinks to locals and tourists.

It was long touted as the location where commissioners met in 1820 and signed the papers which separated Maine from Massachusetts — ergo, Freeport’s use of “the birthplace of Maine” tagline. Shettleworth, however, said that there is no evidence to support this claim and that Freeport actually voted against separation at least five times, though he did note that the pub was a location for several other political meetings.

Hincks said it is unfortunate to lose the long, though complex and often misunderstood, history of the location on Main Street. The location has run as a tavern in some compacity for close to 80 years, spanning several centuries.

“There’s a huge storyline there — there’s so much history,” Hincks said. He hopes that the next tenant will at least continue the long-running tradition of prioritizing seafood, as Jameson Tavern has done. “It’s what the people come here for.”