Marion has its fair share of historic buildings. The Music Hall, Town House, and the Sippican Historical Society building have all been standing strong since the 1800s.

Handy’s Tavern may not be the oldest building in town, but with 200 years of history behind it, its owners have cause to celebrate.

Built at 152 Front Street in 1812 by Captain Caleb Handy, the tavern has gone from a stop on the stagecoach route to the first stop on the Sippican Woman’s Club’s annual Holiday House Tour.

Throughout its 200 years, the tavern has remained in essence – a meeting place, according to its current owners, the members of the Sippican Woman’s Club.

"The history is very rich," said Woman's Club president Susan Ford.

In the early 1800s, the tavern happen to lie on the stagecoach route to Boston and to Providence, Rhode Island. In the early days, the inside of the building included a ballroom and what every tavern needs – a bar.

At the time, the drink of choice was "flip," a combination of rum and molasses, Ford said.

The building has been bought and sold a few times over the years. In the mid-1800s the tavern was the site of a fruit and vegetable stand operated by Louis Garty. In the later half of the 19th century, the tavern became a women’s clothing store known as The Towne Shop.

The Woman’s Club purchased the tavern in 1923 for $7,800. At that time, the property line extended to Cottage Street and included additions on the back of the tavern used to house animals. Not needing all of the additional space, the Woman's Club sold much of the land to commercial businesses.

Since then, it has been the club’s meeting house as well the first stop on the annual Holiday House Tour.

Held annually at the beginning of December, the tour includes additional stops at homes around town. The homes on the tour change every year and are kept secret until the day of the event.

Since the first tour in 1986, the ladies have adopted a different decorating theme for tavern. The themes have ranged from the board game-inspired “Candy Land” to last year’s “Tropical Christmas.”

The 26th tour, which is set for December 8, will pay homage to the tavern’s bicentennial with a throwback to the early days with “Rustic Christmas.”

The Woman’s Club is busy decorating the downstairs of the tavern in the style of an early 19th century country holiday gathering.

Since the Woman’s Club first purchased the tavern, the building has undergone a series of renovations. The most recent renovations include new paint and wallpaper in the foyer, which was completed by club members last summer, as well as the addition of new windows last year.

"The building is all the better for the commitment of the Woman's Club to maintain it," Ford said. "The house had to be completely rewired as you would imagine, but it's in great shape. For historical buildings to continue to be used they need some tender, love, and care. You have to keep them user-friendly on the inside otherwise they sit as museums and can be neglected."

Tinker Saltonstall, a club member since 2002, agreed.

“It’s been beautifully maintained,” Saltonstall said. “They do take wonderful care of it.”

In honor of the tavern's bicentennial, the Woman's Club is selling commemorative plates of Marion.

Designed by Jeanne Bruen and her committee, the plate features Tabor Boy, Handy’s Tavern, The First Congregational Church of Marion, Beverly Yacht Club, Marion Town Hall, the Elizabeth Taber Library, The Music Hall, and Bird Island.