The bulk of The Howe Collection was a gift from the Herbert F. Howe family in 1995. It is comprised of correspondence, diaries, financial documents, photographs, books, and objects related to the Howe family, from the 17th to 20th centuries.

The archive’s largest collection is The Wayside Inn Collection, which is comprised of over half a million separate documents. It consists of deeds, correspondence, maps, business papers, ledgers, and photographs that have been generated by the Inn and its related businesses since the early 18th century.

The Hostess Diaries were written by the women who served as hospitality hostesses at the Inn from 1929 to 1950. The hostesses were highly involved in the Inn’s operations and created daily records that range from the mundane to the fascinating. Entries include accounts about visitors and activities across the property, reflections and newspaper clippings about current events, menus of special dinners and functions, as well as poetry, letters, and photographs shared by visitors.

Henry Ford acquired the bulk of the furniture in our collection. It ranges from pieces owned by Howe family members, such as Jerusha’s pianoforte, to era appropriate pieces purchased to furnish the Inn.

Henry Ford acquired an 1867 “Concord” stagecoach by the Abbot-Downing Company Carriage Works for the Wayside Inn in 1926. It is currently on loan at the American Heritage Museum in neighboring Hudson, MA. In 2021, the Inn acquired a 1930 Ford Model A firetruck, which served in the Sudbury Fire Department until 1968.