The Bull Run Restaurant, a historic tavern in Shirley dating back nearly 300 years, has received a $50,000 grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express.
The Bull Run received the funding as part of the Backing Historic Small Restaurants Grant Program, a joint effort to support 50 restaurants across America with renovations or growth. The Bull Run was the only Massachusetts restaurant selected for a grant in 2025, according to an Oct. 6 press release from the venue.
The funding will be used to make the site more accessible, with plans to upgrade the site’s American with Disabilities Act entrance, reconstruct a brick walkway, and restore or upgrade other aspects of the building.
In addition to the $50,000, The Bull Run and other selected restaurants will see service fees waived for one year for Resy, the American Express-owned restaurant management software.
Listed on the Massachusetts Register of Historic Buildings, The Bull Run was the site where Shirley residents gathered to march to the Battle of Lexington and Concord at the beginning of the Revolutionary War. Later, the site served as the first stop on the Boston-to-Albany stagecoach route in the 1800s, according to the restaurant’s website.
The tavern has been owned by the Guercio family for the past 80 years, with four generations involved in its operations since.
“We are thrilled to receive this generous grant and will use the funds to upgrade our ADA entryway as guests come through our front door and step back in time to our nearly 300-year-old Tavern,” Alison (Guercio) Tocci, innkeeper and owner of The Bull Run, said in the press release. “This grant helps us preserve not just a building, but the living history and hospitality that have connected generations.”
Today, the tavern features a restaurant on the ground floor with private dining rooms above. The venue is used for events and concerts, with the grounds featuring a covered bridge used for wedding photos and other special occasions.
The grant initiative is part of American Express’s broader Backing Small Businesses grant
programs, which began in 2021.
Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the manufacturing and real estate industries.
