Around New England

Amherst College Renames Inn Named After … Amherst

August 27, 2018

Amherst College is renaming the Lord Jeffrey Inn because the name refers to Lord Jeffrey Amherst, the 18th century British general the college is indirectly named after.

General Amherst (1717-1797) is most famous for winning the French and Indian War for England. That’s why a western Massachusetts town was named for him during the mid-1700s. Amherst College was founded in 1821 in that town and named for that town.

But these days much of the general’s attention comes from his advocacy during an Indian war of exterminating an enemy Indian tribe and using blankets contaminated with the smallpox virus to do it.

Amherst has since become persona non grata at the small liberal arts college that bears his name.

Amherst College dumped “Lord Jeffs” as its nickname in 2016. Now the college-owned inn is also losing its name — it will be known as the Inn on Boltwood staring in 2019, according to MassLive.com. (The inn is on Boltwood Avenue in the town of Amherst.)