Built in 1770, it is one of the oldest surviving buildings in the Machias area, and is known for its locally significant role in the American Revolutionary War.

It is a rectangular two-story wood-frame structure, oriented to face east, presenting a side to the street.

The entry vestibule has a distinctive staircase that branches left and right, providing independent access to the second-floor bedrooms.

There are parlor rooms on either side of the chimney, and a kitchen with large fireplace taking up most of the western half of the building.

[2] English settlers first arrived in the Machias area in 1763, and the tavern was built in 1770 by Job Burnham.