“It stands all alone like a goblin in gray,The old-fashioned inn of a pioneer day,In a land so forlorn and forgotten, it seemsLike a wraith of the past rising into our dreams;Its glories have vanished, and only the ghostOf a sign-board now creaks on its desolate post,Recalling a time when all hearts were akinAs they rested at night in that welcoming inn.”James Newton Matthews.
“It stands all alone like a goblin in gray,The old-fashioned inn of a pioneer day,In a land so forlorn and forgotten, it seemsLike a wraith of the past rising into our dreams;Its glories have vanished, and only the ghostOf a sign-board now creaks on its desolate post,Recalling a time when all hearts were akinAs they rested at night in that welcoming inn.”James Newton Matthews.
“It stands all alone like a goblin in gray,
The old-fashioned inn of a pioneer day,
In a land so forlorn and forgotten, it seems
Like a wraith of the past rising into our dreams;
Its glories have vanished, and only the ghost
Of a sign-board now creaks on its desolate post,
Recalling a time when all hearts were akin
As they rested at night in that welcoming inn.”
James Newton Matthews.
Boonsboro is a small town at the foot of South Mountain in Maryland, and in the palmy days of the National Road was a lively village. Old wagoners and stage drivers spread its fame, but railroad conductors are silent as to its memory. The Slifer Brothers kept tavern in Boonsboro in the olden time. Their house was not a wagon stand. One of the Slifer brothers, as before stated, claimed to be the inventor of the “rubber,” brake, as it is commonly called. At the west end of Boonsboro the widow Galwix kept a wagon stand and did a large business. She was the widow of John Galwix, hereinbefore mentioned as a fancy wagoner. Robert Fowler kept a tavern in Boonsboro as early as 1835 and a wagon stand on the north side of the road.
Three and a half miles west of Boonsboro Henry and Jacob Fosnock, Germans, kept a wagon stand, which was well patronized. The property was owned by the Fosnocks, and they made money with their tavern. They were bachelors, but had an unmarried sister, Susan, who acted in the capacity of hostess. She subsequently became the wife of the old wagoner, Joseph Crampton. The Fosnocks were at the point mentioned as late as 1842.
Funkstown appears next in sight. Funkstown, another old village identified with the by-gone glories of the old pike. The name of this village brings to mind the once familiar form of John Funk, an old wagoner. John lived at or near Funkstown, and his family may have given the name to the village. Funkstown is located on Little Antietam creek, about seventy miles west of Baltimore. Fifty yearsago there was a paper mill and a grist mill at Funkstown, and they may be there yet, and others in addition. At the east end of Funkstown, Joseph Watts kept a wagon stand, and competed for the custom of the wagoners with William Ashton, who kept a similar tavern at the west end of the town. Each did a good business. Ashton will be remembered as the athletic wagoner, who leaped over the top of a road wagon at Petersburg. He knew the wants of wagoners and served them well at his old tavern. He was the owner of two fine six-horse teams, and kept them constantly on the road.
After Funkstown, come the classic shades and handsome streets of Hagerstown. Hagerstown was always a prominent point on the road. It ranked with Wheeling, Washington, Brownsville, Uniontown, Cumberland, and Frederic. Hagerstown was a station for the stage lines. It outlived the road, and flourishes as one of the best towns of Maryland. The only old wagon stand in Hagerstown was that of John B. Wrench. But Hagerstown was rather too stylish a place for old wagoners, and Wrench gave up his house there in 1842, and removed to Piney Grove, where he found a more congenial atmosphere. He subsequently kept one of the old taverns at Grantsville, from which point he emigrated to Iowa, and died there.
Four and a half miles west of Hagerstown, an old wagon stand was kept by David Newcomer. It was a stone house, on the north side of the road. Newcomer furnished good entertainment, and was well favored with customers, mostly wagoners. He was a Quaker, and a money maker. He dealt in horses, in addition to tavern keeping. When offering a horse for sale, his wife was accustomed to say in the hearing of the person proposing to buy: “Now, David, thee must not sell that favorite horse.” This, old wagoners say, was a “set-up job” between David and his spouse to gain a good price. Newcomer was the owner of the property, and as the house was of stone, is probably standing yet; but the ring of the old pike has gone from it long since.
Three miles westward from Newcomer’s was the imposing and well-remembered tavern kept by John Miller. It was of brick, a large and commodious building, situate on the north side of the road. Miller owned the property, and it may be in the possession of his descendants to this day. There were large rooms in this house, adapted to dancing purposes, and young men and maidens of the vicinity frequently tripped to the notes of the old time music in its spacious halls. The waltz was unknown, and the figures varied from the “hoe down” to the cotillion, closing always with the “Virginia Reel.” The old wagoners were invariably invited to participate in these festivities, and engaged in them with a gusto not excelled by the lads and lasses of the surrounding neighborhood. Alfred Bailes, the old pike boy of Dunbar, drove a line team from John S. Miller’s to the Nicodemus House, two miles west of Hancock, as early as the year 1836, and is probably the only survivor of the young folks who participated in the gayeties of Miller’s old tavern.
One mile west of Miller’s is “Shady Bower.” There a tavern was kept by Conrod Wolsey. His house was well favored by wagoners, who sought his generous board in goodly numbers, and while well liked by his customers, he got the name of “Dirty Spigot,” because the spigot of a whisky barrel in his house was once besmeared with filth. There was a large distillery near Wolsey’s tavern, operated by Barnes Mason. Mason had two teams on the road, driven by William Keefer and Joseph Myers.
Clear Spring comes next, and derives its name from the existence of a large, gushing spring of clear water, in volume sufficient to propel a mill. An old wagon stand was kept at Clear Spring by Andrew Kershaw, who died the proprietor of the house, and was succeeded by his son Jonathan. The house was a large brick building, on the south side of the road. Stages stopped and exchanged teams at Clear Spring, but not at Kershaw’s. His house, as stated, was a wagon stand. Gusty Mitchell is a well-remembered character of Clear Spring. He used to steal and drink the wagoners’ whisky, and “bum” around their teams in all sorts of ways. One night the wagoners poured turpentine over Gusty and set fire to him, which so frightened him that he never afterward had anything to do with wagoners.
The next old tavern was on the top of North Mountain, two miles west of Clear Spring, kept by Joseph Kensel. It was a log house, and on the north side of the road. Kensel owned the property. While this old tavern was humble in outward appearance, the fires burned brightly within, and its patrons, who were numerous, highly extolled the quality of the viands it spread before them.
Indian Spring comes next, four and a half miles west from Clear Spring. Here a wagon stand was kept by David Miller. The house is a stone structure, on the north side of the road, and Miller owned it in fee simple. This old house was a favorite resort of wagoners, and night after night echoed the once familiar notes of the great highway, in the days of its glory.
Three miles west from David Miller’s, Anthony Snider, a distant relative of John Snider of happy momory, kept a wagon stand. It was a frame building on the north side of the road. Peter Hawes once lived at this house, and hauled stone for an aqueduct on the adjacent canal.
Four miles west of Snider’s, on the north side of the road, stood the old frame tavern of Widow Bevans. She owned the property, and her house was a popular stopping place. It will be noted that in many instances widows kept the best taverns along the road. There is no record of a widow making a failure as a tavern keeper.
Two miles further on to the westward, and before the once familiar tavern of Widow Bevans entirely recedes from view, the old wagon stand of David Barnett is reached. His house was a large log building, on the north side of the road. Here the first transportation line of six-horse teams, John Bradfield agent, had relays, its next relayeastward being the house of John Miller, before mentioned. Barnett was a jolly old landlord, fond of exchanging jokes with old wagoners and other patrons. He had a manner and a method of pleasing his guests, and did a large and profitable business.
Westward, two miles from Barnett’s, is the historic town of Hancock, named in honor of the man who wrote his name in letters so large and legible, that they were read all round the world. There was no old wagon stand tavern in Hancock, except for a short time about the year 1838. John Shane established it, but was not successful, and removed to Cumberland, where he set up a confectionery shop. Wagoners preferred country before town taverns, as a rule. Stages stopped and exchanged horses in Hancock.
Two miles west of Hancock, one Nicodemus kept an old wagon stand. His first name has not been preserved, owing probably to the sublimity of his surname. He was known all along the road, but mentioned only as Nicodemus. His house was a frame building on the north side of the road, and he owned it, and died in it. He kept a good tavern, and was well patronized. Widow Downer kept this house before the time of Nicodemus.
Two miles west of the house of Nicodemus is Sideling Hill, so called from the sloping character of the ground upon which the road is laid. At the eastern foot of this hill Jacob Brosius kept an old wagon stand, and had a good share of custom. His house was a frame building and stood on the south side of the road. The distance from the foot to the summit of Sideling Hill is four miles, and it is the longest hill on the road. In 1837 Jacob Anderson, an old wagoner, was killed on Sideling Hill. His team became frightened on the summit and ran down the western slope, coming in contact with a large tree on the roadside with such force as to break it down, and falling on Anderson, he was instantly killed. Isaac Browning, Caleb Langley and Black Westley, with their teams and wagons, were on the road with Anderson at the time of this accident. Anderson was a citizen of Loudon county, Virginia. Langley, Browning and Westley belonged to Fayette county, Pennsylvania. The road crosses a stream at Sideling Hill, called Sideling Hill creek. There was a covered bridge over this creek. In 1841 John Moss and Billy George, old wagoners, drove their teams on this bridge, and stopping a while to rest under the shade afforded by the roof, the bridge broke down, precipitating horses, wagons and drivers a distance of fourteen feet to the water, causing considerable damage to the wagons and the goods therein, but strange to say inflicting but slight injuries upon the drivers and teams. The teams and wagons belonged to Robert Newlove, of Wheeling.
Two miles from the foot of Sideling Hill, and on the north side of the road, John H. Mann kept a wagon stand. His house was a frame building. Mann was a citizen of some prominence, and at one time represented his county (Washington) in the Maryland Legislature. It is not known that his proclivities in the line of statesmanship impaired in any wise his talent for tavern keeping.
On the western slope of Sideling Hill, about midway between the summit and the foot, Thomas Norris kept a tavern, which was a favorite resort of wagoners. His house was a large stone building, on the north side of the road. There was a picturesqueness about the location of this old tavern that imparted a peculiar spice to the ordinary rounds of entertainment enjoyed by its guests. Samuel Cessna kept this house at one time.
One mile west of Sideling Hill creek, a wagon stand was kept by the widow Ashkettle, another widow, and she no exception to the rule before stated, that the widows all kept good houses. Her name is not inappropriate to some of the duties of housekeeping, but Mrs. Ashkettle’s forte was not in making lye, but in setting a good, clean table. She had a son, David, who managed the business of the house for her. Her house was a frame building, and stood on the north side of the road.
Two miles west of Mrs. Ashkettle’s the wayfarer struck the point bearing the homely name of “Snib Hollow.” These old names never wear out, no matter how ugly they are, and it is well they do not. They all have a significance and an interest, local or otherwise, which would be lost by a change of name. Quidnuncs in history and literature have exerted their restless talents in efforts to obliterate these seemingly rude, old names, and substitute fancy ones in their stead, but they have failed, and their failure is a pleasant tribute to the supremacy of common sense. As early as 1825 the widow Turnbull kept a tavern at Snib Hollow. Later, an old wagon stand was kept there by John Alder, who had a large run of customers. His house was a log building, on the north side of the road.
Town Hill comes next, a half a mile west of Snib Hollow, at the foot of which Dennis Hoblitzell kept a tavern as early as the year 1830, and probably earlier. The house was on the east side of the road, and the locality is often called Piney Plains. Mrs. McClelland, of the McClelland House, Uniontown, is a daughter of Dennis Hoblitzell. Samuel Cessna subsequently kept this house, and stage lines and wagon lines all stopped at it. It was here, and in Cessna’s time, that Governor Corwin, of Ohio, was treated as a negro servant, mention of which is made in another chapter. In 1836 John Snider stopped over night at this house, with a load of emigrants, while Cessna was keeping it, and had to clean the oats he fed to his horses with an ordinary bed sheet, the windmill not having reached this point at that early day.
At the foot of Town Hill, on the west side, Henry Bevans kept a tavern. It was a wagon stand, and likewise a station for one of the stage lines. The house stood on the north side of the road, and enjoyed a good trade. Samuel Luman, the old stage driver, kept this house in 1839.
Two miles west from the Bevans house is Green Ridge, where an old wagon stand was kept by Elisha Collins. His house was a log building, and stood on the north side of the road. Although thishouse was humble in appearance, old wagoners are unstinted in bestowing praises on its ancient good cheer.
Trudging onward, two miles further to the westward, the old wagoner, and many a weary traveler, found a pleasant resting place at “Pratt’s Hollow,” where Samuel Hamilton kept a cozy old tavern. It was a frame house, on the north side of the road. Hamilton was a planter as well as tavern keeper, and raised tobacco and owned and worked negro slaves. Levi McGruder succeeded Hamilton as the keeper of this house. This locality derived its name from Pratt, who owned the property at an early day, and, upon authority of the veteran David Mahaney, kept the first tavern there. An incident occurred at Pratt’s Hollow in the year 1842, which brings to memory the state of public society inante bellumtimes. Among the old wagoners of the road, was Richard Shadburn. He was a native of Virginia, and born a slave, while his complexion was so fair, and his hair so straight, that he readily passed for a white man. When quite young he escaped from his master and struck out for liberty among the enlivening scenes of the great highway of the Republic. On a certain evening of the year mentioned, he drove into McGruder’s wagon yard along with a number of other wagoners, to rest for the night. The sun had not yet disappeared behind the western hills, and a stage coach pulled up in front of McGruder’s tavern, and stopped for water, as was the custom at that point. Among the passengers in that coach was the owner of the slave, Shadburn. Looking out through the window of the coach he observed and recognized Shadburn, and calling to his aid a fellow passenger, emerged from the coach with a determination to reclaim his property. Dick was seized, but being a man of great muscular power, succeeded in releasing himself from the clutches of his assailants and fled. The disappointed master fired at Dick with a pistol, as he ran, but he made good his escape. The team driven by Shadburn belonged to Parson’s of Ohio, who shortly after the escapade mentioned, sent another driver to McGruder’s to take charge of it. Shadburn never afterward reappeared on the road, and it is believed that he found a home and at last a grave in Canada.
It was near Pratt’s Hollow that the Cotrells, father and two sons, murdered a peddler in 1822, the perpetrators of which crime were all hung from the same scaffold in Frederic. The old tavern at Pratt’s Hollow was destroyed by fire many years ago, and was never rebuilt.
Two miles west from Pratt’s Hollow, John S. Miller conducted an old tavern, and a good one. His house was a frame building, and stood on the north side of the road. It was a popular stopping place for wagoners. Miller kept this house as early as 1836, and subsequently became the proprietor of the old tavern, five miles west of Washington, Pennsylvania, where he died.
“Polish Mountain” is reached next, one mile west of the old Miller stand. On the summit of this little, but picturesque mountain, Philip Fletcher kept an old tavern, and greeted and treated thousandsof old wagoners and other travelers. His house stood on the north side of the road, and was made of logs, but the table it furnished was equal to the best on the road.
And next comes Flintstone, four miles west of Fletcher’s. All old pike boys remember Flintstone. The name has a familiar ring. The stages stopped at Flintstone, and Thomas Robinson kept the leading tavern there, in the olden time. His house was a stage station, and a wagon stand as well. Robinson, the good old landlord, got into a difficulty, many years ago, with one Silas Twigg, and was killed outright by his assailant. As early as 1835 Jonathan Huddleson kept a tavern in Flintstone, and had the patronage of one of the stage lines. He subsequently kept the old Tomlinson tavern at the Little Meadows. John Piper was an old tavern keeper at Flintstone. His house was a favorite summer resort, and also enjoyed the patronage of old wagoners. The Piper house is a large brick building, and stands on the north side of the road. John Piper died about the year 1872. The house is continued as a tavern under the joint management of John Howard, a son-in-law, and an unmarried daughter of the old proprietor. Henry B. Elbon also kept a tavern in Flintstone for many years, but his career began after that of the old road ended. Elbon died about four or five years ago. Fairweather and Ladew, of New York, own and operate a large tannery at Flintstone.
Two miles west of Flintstone, Martin’s Mountain is encountered, at the foot of which, on the east, Thomas Streets presided over an old tavern, and welcomed and cared for many a guest. His house was a frame structure, on the south side of the road.
Two miles further on the westward tramp the widow Osford kept a regular old wagon stand. She was assisted by her son, Joseph. It is needless to state that her house was popular. She was a widow. Her house was a log building, on the south side of the road, with a large wagon yard attached. Her dining room occupied the greater portion of the ground floor of her house, and her table was always crowded with hungry guests. Kitchen and bar room made up the remainder of the first story, and wagoners’ beds covered every inch of the bar room floor at night. Mrs. Osford retired from this house after a long season of prosperity, and was succeeded by Peter Hager, an old wagoner, who at one time drove a team for William Searight.
Two miles west from widow Osford’s, Henry Miller kept an old tavern. It was a brick house, on the south side of the road. It will be noted that Miller is the leading name among the old tavern keepers of the road. The Smiths don’t figure much in this line.
Two miles west of Henry Miller’s an old tavern was kept by Slifer, whose first name is lost to memory. It is probable he was of the family of Slifers who kept at Boonsboro. It is said of this Slifer that he was a good, square dealing landlord, kept a good house and enjoyed a fair share of patronage.
Old Taverns and Tavern Keepers continued—Cumberland to Little Crossings—The City of Cumberland—Everstine’s—The Six Mile House and Bridge—Clary’s—Tragedy in Frostburg—Thomas Beall—Sand Springs—Big Savage—Little Savage—Thomas Johnson—The Shades of Death—John Recknor—Piney Grove—Mortimer Cade—Tomlinson’s—Widow Wooding.
The city of Cumberland is the initial point, as before stated, of that portion of the National Road which was constructed by authority of Congress, and paid for with funds drawn from the public treasury of the United States. In 1835 James Black kept the leading tavern in Cumberland. It was a stage house. In 1836 John and Emory Edwards, of Boonsboro, leased the Black House, and conducted it as a tavern for many years thereafter. John Snider, the old pike boy of pleasant memory, hauled a portion of the household goods of the Edwards’ from their old home in Boonsboro to their new location at Cumberland. At the date last mentioned there were two wagon stands in Cumberland. One of them was kept by Thomas Plumer. Plumer had teams on the road. The other was kept by George Mattingly. Frederic Shipley kept a tavern in Cumberland previous to the year 1840. It was located on Baltimore street, near the site of the station first established by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company. This house was subsequently conducted by George W. Gump, and after him, in 1857, by David Mahaney. One Kaig, of Bedford county, Pennsylvania, succeeded Mahaney in the control of this house. It was called “The American,” and entertained wagoners and the traveling public at large. In 1844 and later, the widow Adams kept a wagon stand in Cumberland, on the site of the present rolling mill. George Elliott was manager for Mrs. Adams. The house was a large brick structure, and known in its day as the “Mountain City House.” Lewis Smith kept “The Blue Springs House” on Mechanics street, and was largely patronized by old wagoners. Frederic Shipley also kept a tavern on Mechanics street, after he left the American. John Kelso, the old wagoner, kept a tavern for a short time on Mechanics street, and was well patronized; and Otho Barcus, another old wagoner, kept the “Pennsylvania House” on Mechanics street in 1843, and for a period of three years thereafter. The road when first laid out, as seen in a previous chapter, passed over Wills Mountain. In 1834 this location was changed for a better grade, up the valleys of Wills creek and Braddock’s run. To makethis change it was necessary to first obtain the consent of the State of Maryland, which was granted by an act of her Legislature in 1832. The old Plumer tavern stood at the eastern end of the old location, and the old Mattingly tavern at the same end of the new location. George Evans kept a tavern, also, near the eastern end of the original location.
JOHN KELSO.
JOHN KELSO.
Five miles west of Cumberland, on the new location, a wagon stand was kept by Joseph Everstine. This was a frame house, and stood on the north side of the road. It was well conducted, but owing to its proximity to Cumberland, did not do as large a business as other taverns of the road, more advantageously located.
Six miles west from Cumberland there was an old tavern known as the “Six Mile House.” It belonged to the Bruces, an old and wealthy family of Alleghany county, Maryland, and many years ago was destroyed by fire. A new building was erected on the old site, and remains to this day in the occupancy of a nephew of the old tavern keeper, Aden Clary. This house is near the junction of the old and new locations above referred to, and near the stone bridge over Braddock’s run. The sixth mile post from Cumberland stands on the north wall of this bridge, firm and unshaken. The bridge is well preserved, and a polished stone thereof bears this inscription: “1835—Built by Thomas Fealy, Lieut. Jno. Pickell, U. S. Engineer, H. M. Petitt, Ass’t Supt’d.”
Eight miles west from Cumberland Aden Clary kept. His house was a large and commodious brick building on the south side of the road, and is still standing. There was not a more popular house on the road than Aden Clary’s.
Frostburg is next reached. This was always a prominent point on the road. It did not derive its name, as many suppose, from the crisp atmosphere in which it was located, but from the original owner of the land on which it stands, whose name was Frost. Frostburg was the first stage station west of Cumberland. The leading taverns of Frostburg in the palmy days of the road were the “Franklin House” and the “Highland Hall House.” The Franklin House was kept for many years by Thomas Beall, the father of the Bealls of Uniontown. It was headquarters of the Good Intent stage line. The Highland Hall House was conducted at different times by George W. Claybaugh, George Evans, Samuel Cessna and Thomas Porter. It was the headquarters of the Stockton line of coaches. During Cessna’s time at this house he was the principal actor in a tragedy which produced considerable commotion in the vicinity. A negro servant employed by Cessna addressed some insulting remark to his wife, and immediately upon being informed thereof, Cessna proceeded to dispatch the negro without ceremony. He was tried in Cumberland for murder and acquitted, public sentiment very generally acquiescing in the verdict of the jury. About the year 1850 the Highland Hall House was purchased by the authorities of the Catholic church, remodeled, improved and converted to ecclesiastical uses.
About one mile west of Frostburg, and at the foot of Big Savage mountain, is Sand Springs, so called from the gurgling water in the sand at that point. In 1836 the widow Ward kept a wagon stand tavern at Sand Springs. Her house was a favorite resort for old wagoners. On the night of October 3, 1836, snow fell to the depth of a foot at Sand Springs, breaking down the timber all through the surrounding mountains. Mrs. Ward’s wagon yard was crowded with teams and wagons that night, and the snow was so deep the next day that the wagoners deemed it inexpedient to turn out, and remained at Mrs. Ward’s until the following morning. John Snider was among the wagoners at Mrs. Ward’s on the occasion mentioned, and is authority for the occurrence of the October snow storm. The tavern at Sand Springs was subsequently kept by John Welsh, an old stage driver, Hiram Sutton and Jacob Conrod, in the order named. Hiram Sutton was a son-in-law of Jared Clary. He kept the Sand Springs tavern down to the year 1852, when he moved to Parkersburg, West Virginia, and may be living there yet. Philip Spiker, the old blacksmith at Sand Springs, it is said could shoe more horses in a given time than any other blacksmith on the road. He had a rival, however, in A. Brice Devan, now of Dunbar, who, in the palmy days of the road, carried on a shop in Hopwood, and shod horses for old wagoners all night long on many occasions. Devan’s backers will not concede that Spiker was a speedier shoer than he.
A short distance west of Sand Springs, on the side of Big Savage mountain, an old wagon stand was kept by one Cheney, afterward by Jacob Conrod. It is a stone house, on the south side of the road. In Cheney’s time at this house, Henry Clay Bush, who was an old wagoner, says that metallic mugs were used for drinking purposes, instead of glasses. He further states that the mugs were clean, and probably used through deference to the pure whisky of that day. Big Savage mountain is two thousand five hundred and eighty feet above the Atlantic.
Two miles west from Cheney’s, and at the foot of Little Savage mountain, Thomas Beall kept a tavern as early as 1830. William E. Beall, superintendent of the Uniontown rolling mill, was born at this old tavern. Thomas Beall removed from this place to Missouri, but after a short absence, returned to Western Maryland, and took charge of the Franklin House in Frostburg. Thomas Johnson succeeded Thomas Beall in the management of this house. It was a noted place, and Johnson was a noted character. He was a good fiddler and a good dancer. He owned a negro named Dennis, who was also a good dancer, and night after night in the cheerful bar room of the old tavern, Dennis performed the “double shuffle,” responsive to lively music furnished by his old master. Johnson was small in stature, weighing but little over a hundred pounds. Although he participated freely in the fun of the old road, he was not unmindful or neglectful of his business. He owned the old tavern-stand mentioned and the lands adjacent, and dying, left a comfortableinheritance to his descendants. Little Savage mountain has an elevation of two thousand four hundred and eighty feet above the Atlantic, being one hundred feet lower than Big Savage.
Three miles further westward, and at the eastern approach to the Shades of Death, John Recknor kept an old wagon stand, well known, and in its day well patronized. Recknor kept this house as early as 1830, and ended his days in it. It was a log and frame structure on the north side of the road, with a commodious wagon yard attached. The thick branches of the pine trees growing on Shade Hill, hung over this old house, imparting to it a romantic, as well as an attractive perspective. The fame of Mrs. Recknor as a purveyor of hot biscuits was co-extensive with the line of the road. Now,
“The kitchen is cold and the hall is as still,As the heart of the hostess out there on the hill.”
“The kitchen is cold and the hall is as still,As the heart of the hostess out there on the hill.”
“The kitchen is cold and the hall is as still,
As the heart of the hostess out there on the hill.”
Piney Grove comes next, two miles from Recknor’s, so called from the numerous pine trees growing in the locality in the olden time. At an early day Joshua Johnson, a wealthy man of Frederic City, owned fifteen thousand acres of land, embracing Piney Grove and the Shades of Death, which he held for many years for speculative purposes. Portions of this large area, it is said, continue in the possession of Johnson’s descendants to this day. The pine trees were cut down many years ago, sawed up and shipped to market. William Frost, of Frostburg, erected the first extensive saw mill in the vicinity. At Piney Grove there was an old tavern, kept at different times by Truman Fairall, Mortimer Cade, Lemuel Cross, John Wrench and David Mahaney. All the stage lines of the road stopped at this old tavern, and wagoners in goodly numbers also congregated there. It was a large frame building on the north side of the road, and on the opposite side large stables and sheds were erected for sheltering horses and vehicles.
West of Piney Grove about one-fourth of a mile, an old wagon stand was kept by a man whose name was Wagoner, and subsequently by Isaac Bell, and later by Mortimer Cade. Cade kept this house in 1840, and died in it. His widow continued to keep it as a tavern for a number of years, and until she became the wife of William Fear, who kept a tavern on Keyser’s Ridge. A daughter of Mrs. Cade is living in Uniontown at this time.
Two miles west of Piney Grove the celebrated old Tomlinson tavern at Little Meadows is reached. This is an old stand; as old as the National Road. Here the lines of the National and the old Braddock roads coincide. Jesse Tomlinson owned the land at this point, and kept a tavern on the old Braddock road, before the National Road was made. Upon the opening of the latter he abandoned his old house and erected a new one on the new road, which he conducted as a tavern for many years. After his death the property passed to the hands of Jacob Sides. W. M. F. Magraw, as before stated, married a daughter of Jacob Sides. This place is referred to as the LittleMeadows in the official record of Braddock’s unfortunate march through the mountains in 1755. The region at and about Mt. Washington, further westward on the line of the road, where the conflict between Washington and the French and Indians occurred, in 1754, is designated by Washington, in his official report of that engagement, as the Great Meadows. Tomlinson’s tavern is a large stone house, on the north side of the road. After Tomlinson, it was kept by Thomas Endsley, who was succeeded by Thomas Thistle, Thomas Thistle by James Stoddard, and he, in turn, by Jesse Huddleson, Truman Fairall, Lemuel Cross and David Mahaney, all before the railroad was continued west of Cumberland. It was kept by George Layman after the railroad absorbed the trade. Layman was afterward sheriff of Alleghany county, Maryland. In the year 1862, while the property was under the control of Mr. Magraw, the old Tomlinson tavern was remodeled and much improved. The contract for the improvements was undertaken by George W. Wyning, a well known carpenter of Uniontown, who superintended the work in person, and during its progress he and Magraw together, spent many a pleasant hour amid the exhilarating atmosphere of the mountains, in the society of the old pike boys. James K. Polk dined at the Tomlinson house in the spring of 1845, on his way to Washington to be inaugurated President. Huddleson was keeping the house at that time. The occasion brought together a large concourse of mountain people, who were addressed by the President-elect.
One mile west from Tomlinson’s the widow Wooding kept a tavern as early as 1842, and for some time thereafter. Her house was a frame building, on the north side of the road, and was largely patronized by old wagoners. Mrs. Wooding growing old, and wearied by the onerous duties of tavern keeping, gave up the business, and turned her house over to her son-in-law. Peter Yeast, who conducted it for a season, and in turn surrendered it to John Wright.
One mile west of Mrs. Wooding’s old stand the traveler reaches the Little Crossings, a name given to the locality from the circumstance that here the road crosses the Castleman river; and the prefix “little” is used because the Castleman is a smaller stream than the Youghiogheny, which is crossed a few miles further westward, and called the Big Crossings. There was no tavern at the Little Crossings previous to the year 1836. Subsequent to that date a tavern was established there by Alexander Carlisle, who entertained the traveling public in a satisfactory manner. His house was a large frame structure, on the south side of the road, subsequently kept by John and Samuel McCurdy, and later, at different times, by David Johnson, William Dawson, Elisha Brown, Jacob Conrod and David Mahaney. Although nearly twenty years elapsed from the building of the road before any old landlord at Little Crossings beckoned the weary traveler to rest and refreshment, nevertheless, thereafter, and until business ceased on the line, that locality presented many and rare attractions, as all old pike boys are ready to verify.
Old Taverns and Tavern Keepers continued—Little Crossings to Winding Ridge—Grantsville—The Old Shultz, Steiner and Fuller Houses—The Veteran, David Mahaney—Thomas Thistle, Widow Haldeman, Death of Mrs. Recknor, Negro Mountain, Keyser’s Ridge, Log Cabin Boys of 1840, James Stoddard, Dennis Hoblitzell, The Fears, The McCurdys, Adam Yeast, David Johnson, Perry Shultz, Truman Fairall, John Woods, The Bane House, Wooing and Wedding of an Old Tavern Keeper, James Reynolds, Henry Walters.
Next after leaving the Little Crossings on the westward march, comes Grantsville, a romantic little mountain village in Garrett, formerly Alleghany, county, Maryland, named long before the hero of Appomattox was known to fame, and therefore not in his honor. In 1833 Samuel Gillis kept a tavern in the east end of Grantsville, on the south side of the road, the same house that in later years was kept by John Slicer. It was a wagon stand in the time of Gillis, and Slicer did not take charge of it until business had ceased on the road. John Lehman kept a tavern in Grantsville in 1836. He was a son-in-law, as was Peter Yeast, of the good old widow Wooding, before mentioned.
The Lehman House was subsequently kept by Henry Fuller, and after him by George Smouse. It was a frame building near the center of the village, on the south side of the street and road. In 1843 Henry Fuller demolished this old house, and erected a new one in its place. Adam Shultz kept a tavern at the east end of Grantsville back in the forties, and dying in charge, was succeeded by his son Perry, who continued it down to the year 1852, when the ancient glories of the old pike began to weaken and wane. The Shultz House was an imposing brick structure, on the south side of the road, and was kept for a while by the veteran David Mahaney, and at one time by Jesse King. Perry Shultz was subsequently elected sheriff of Alleghany county, Maryland. Solomon Steiner also kept a tavern in Grantsville during a portion of the prosperous era of the road. Grantsville seems to have been a favorite locality for tavern keepers of German names and antecedents. Steiner’s tavern was a brick building, and stood on the opposite side of the road from the old Shultz House. Steiner built it, owned it, and died in it, and his son, Archibald, conducted it for a number of years after his father’s death. It was a wagon stand. The Fuller House was kept at different times by JohnD. Wrench, Bazil Garletts, Barney Brown, John Slicer, William Slicer, William Beffler, John Millinger, and Nathaniel Slicer. Christian M. Livengood is the present proprietor. Archibald Steiner was succeeded in his father’s old house, first, by William Shaw, and thereafter in turn by John Millinger and Jonas E. Canagy, the present proprietor, and it is now called the Farmer’s House.
David Mahaney, whose name frequently appears in these pages, is a remarkable man. A boy when the National Road was made, he has lived on and near it all his life. His present residence is Dunbar, Fayette county, Pa., but he is a familiar figure on the streets of Uniontown. He is the father of Lloyd Mahaney, the well known enterprising owner and manager of the handsome new Mahaney house in Uniontown, and of George Mahaney, also a popular hotel man, who at one time kept the Dixon house in Greensburg, afterward a hotel in Pittsburg, and at the present time is conducting a house in Latrobe. David Mahaney was born in Washington county, Md., near Hagerstown, in 1807, and is therefore in his eighty-sixth year, while he has the appearance of a man not over sixty. His complexion is swarthy, step elastic, and his memory but slightly impaired by the inroads of time. His father was a native of Culpeper county, Va., who met with a melancholy death by drowning in the Potomac river, on the night of the presidential election of 1856. His polling place was eight miles from his residence, in Maryland, and to reach it and vote involved the crossing of the Potomac. It was late in the evening when he left the polls to return home, and upon reaching the river, by some untoward accident fell into the water and perished. David Mahaney’s first venture in tavern keeping on his own account was at the old Shultz house in Grantsville. He was personally acquainted with Henry Clay, Thomas H. Benton, Lewis Cass, and others of the old time statesmen, and frequently entertained them.
As early as 1836 Thomas Thistle kept a tavern at the foot of Negro Mountain, two miles west of Grantsville. With a name somewhat rasping in its import, Thistle had a smooth tongue, a mild manner, and furnished excellent entertainment for the traveling public. He was one of the oldest and best known tavern keepers on the road. His house was a long, frame wooden building, on the south side of the road, at times a stage station, and throughout its entire existence a wagon stand. Here the National Road crosses the line of the old Braddock road. In 1844 William Dehaven kept the old Thistle tavern, and later it was kept by Levi Dean.
One and a half miles west from the old Thistle house, and on the eastern slope of Negro Mountain, the widow Haldeman kept a tavern as early as 1840, and like all the widows, had a large patronage. While conducting this house, Mrs. Haldeman became the wife of Daniel Smouse, who thereafter took charge of it. The house was a log building, on the south side of the road, and the spacious grounds surrounding it were crowded, night after night, with six-horse teams and big, broad wheeled wagons, covered with canvass, presenting theappearance of a military encampment. This old house was subsequently kept by George Smouse, and later by John Wright. The widow Recknor, of savory memory, before mentioned, died a boarder in this old tavern, much lamented.
DAVID MAHANY.
DAVID MAHANY.
Onward, westward and upward, the crest of Negro Mountain is reached. There are several versions of the origin of the name of this mountain. Probably the one most worthy of acceptance is that in the early collisions between the whites and the Indians, a negro appeared as an ally of the Indians in a conflict on this mountain, and was among the slain. Negro Mountain is two thousand eight hundred and twenty-five feet above the level of the Atlantic ocean, and the second highest elevation on the line of the road. The old commissioners give the height of the mountain as two thousand three hundred and twenty-eight and twelve one-hundredths feet, from their base of measurement in the Potomac, near Cumberland, and as before stated, make no mention of Keyser’s Ridge. In the year 1836 Dennis Hoblitzell kept a tavern near the summit of Negro Mountain, on the eastern slope. He was the father of Mrs. McClelland, of the McClelland house in Uniontown. This old tavern is a stone building, on the north side of the road, and the same that in after years became celebrated as a resort for hog drovers, under the management of William Sheets. It was kept as a tavern after Hoblitzell left it, and before the time of Sheets, by Thomas Beall.
Two miles west from Negro Mountain Keyser’s Ridge looms up in view. This was a famous locality in the prosperous days of the road. It is a bald, bleak range, not inaptly described as the back-bone of the mountains. It is two thousand eight hundred and forty-three feet above sea level, and the highest point on the road. In the olden time snow drifts often accumulated to the depth of twenty feet on Keyser’s Ridge, and stages and wagons were compelled to take to the skirting glades to avoid them. Francis McCambridge kept a tavern here as early as 1820, and was succeeded by Robert Hunter, and he by James Stoddard, some time previous to 1840. Hunter went from this house to Petersburg. James Stoddard was the grandfather of Mrs. McClelland, of the McClelland house, Uniontown. Stages stopped at Stoddard’s, as well as wagoners and travelers of every description. The log cabin boys of Uniontown stopped at Stoddard’s the first night out on their memorable trip to Baltimore, in 1840, to attend the great Whig mass meeting of that year in that city. They had with them, on wheels, a regular log cabin, well stored with refreshments of every kind, and the very best; and every mile of their long journey resounded with lusty shouts for “Tippecanoe and Tyler, too.” E. B. Dawson, esq., and Lucien B. Bowie, of Uniontown, are the only survivors of that unique pilgrimage, so far as can be ascertained. The party consisted of such distinguished and well remembered Whigs, of Uniontown, as James Veech, Alfred Patterson, Rice G. Hopwood, Thomas R. Davidson, Lee Haymaker, John Harvey, William McDonald, Robert L. Barry, James Endsley, William E. Austin, E. B.Dawson and Lucien B. Bowie. There were doubtless others, but owing to the long lapse of time their names are not recalled. Redding Bunting drove the team that hauled the cabin, and Thomas A. Wiley was with the party as an employe of the Stockton stage line, which furnished four coaches for the transportation of the political pilgrims. James Endsley was of the Somerfield family of Endsleys, and died in that place in July, 1893. At Middletown, a short distance east of South Mountain, in Maryland, the log cabin boys were confronted with a petticoat suspended from a pole, which excited them to rage. A collision and a fight ensued. John Harvey, the muscular man of the log cabin boys, engaged a like representative of the other side, and it is claimed, by the friends of Harvey, that he vanquished his antagonist. It is not improbable that both sides claimed a victory. The party reached Baltimore safely and on time, and were received in that city with great enthusiasm. They were tendered a reception speech, which was delivered by “The Milford Bard,” a celebrated Baltimore poet and orator of that day, and the speech responsive was made by William E. Austin, who was a graceful orator, and his effort on this occasion was one of his best. The Stoddard House, at Keyser’s Ridge, was subsequently and successively kept by Dennis Hoblitzell, William Fear, one of the McCurdys, Adam Yeast and David Johnson, the latter the stepfather of Mrs. McClelland, of the McClelland House, Uniontown, before mentioned, who was born in this house when it was kept by her father, Dennis Hoblitzell. William Fear owned the old Stoddard House, and sold it to Perry Shultz, who conducted it as a tavern for a number of years, in addition to the parties above named. William and Daniel Fear were brothers. William, upon quitting the road, removed to Virginia, where he lived to an old age and died. Daniel exchanged the mountains for the rich valley of the Monongahela, and ended his days in Brownsville. In 1840 Truman Fairall built a house on Keyser’s Ridge, and conducted it as a tavern down to the year 1853, and a short time thereafter moved to the State of Iowa, where he spent the remainder of his life. The Stockton line of coaches stopped at Fairall’s. Fairall was a native of Old Virginia. Samuel Fairall, a son of Truman, the old tavern keeper, at one time a student in the Dunlap’s Creek Academy, near Merrittstown, Fayette county, Pennsylvania, is a law judge in one of the courts of Iowa.
About half a mile west of Keyser’s Ridge, and in the year 1850, John Woods built a house and conducted it as a tavern until the close of business on the road. He was an uncle of Henry, Thomas and Alexander Woods, of Uniontown, and an old wagoner. Sandy Connor, the old blacksmith of Keyser’s Ridge, and occasionally a stage driver, retired to an humble dwelling on the road side, opposite the Woods House, and there in the depths of the mountains took final leave of the old road and all its endearing memories.
Two miles west of Keyser’s Ridge an old wagon stand tavern was kept by Daniel Fear, before mentioned, who was the father ofJohn G. Fear, who kept the old Workman House, in Brownsville, a few years ago, George W. Fear, formerly a wholesale liquor merchant in the same place, and Frank Fear, who once kept the Yough House in Connellsville. The old Fear tavern referred to was also at one time kept by Harvey Bane and by William Carlisle, and later by David Johnson. It was a frame house on the north side of the road. Within the venerable walls of this old tavern, and amid the romantic walks about it, when it was kept by David Johnson, Alfred McClelland, the renowned old tavern keeper of Uniontown, wooed and won his bride, and here in 1856 was happily married to Miss Sarah E. Hoblitzell, now, and for many years, a widow, and reigning mistress of the old McClelland House, in Uniontown, one of the most famous of all the far famed hostelries of the road.
About three-fourths of a mile west from the old Fear House, in later years better known as the Bane House, James Reynolds established a tavern as early as the year 1818, and continued to preside over it and entertain the traveling public until the year 1843. It was a popular wagon stand in its day. James Reynolds, its old proprietor, was the father of William Reynolds, elsewhere mentioned as an old wagoner, tavern keeper and express agent. Daniel Fear succeeded James Reynolds in the old house mentioned, and conducted it for a term of four years. He next moved to a wooden house about three hundred yards to the westward, and kept it as a tavern for two years. This old house was built by Jacob Frederic Augustine, and known as the Augustine House. From this old house Daniel Fear moved to Sand Springs, and kept the old Hiram Sutton house at that point for a term of two years, at the end of which he moved to Brownsville, and died suddenly in Uniontown on July 7, 1854, while on a business errand to that place. John Woods succeeded Fear in the Augustine House.
Within a distance of one hundred yards westward from the old Reynolds House, and in the year 1845, Henry Walters erected a wooden building and embarked in the business of tavern keeping. After a brief experience in this line, he removed to Hopwood, where he operated a blacksmith shop. While in Hopwood, and from the savings of tavern keeping and blacksmithing, he purchased the land on Dunbar’s Camp, occupied it a number of years, sold it at an advance to Dr. Waters, of the Soldiers’ Orphans’ School, and with his added accumulations, bought the old Grier-Brown farm on Redstone creek, in Franklin township, Fayette county, Pennsylvania, founded the village of Waltersburg, and about two years ago died, leaving his family a comfortable inheritance. He is well remembered as an amiable, industrious and money accumulating citizen of German origin.
Old Taverns and Tavern Keepers continued—Winding Ridge to the Big Crossings—The State Line—How it is Noted—The Old Stone Tavern on Winding Ridge, John Welsh, Major Paul, The Wables, Edward C. Jones, The Augustines, Daniel Blucher, Petersburg, Gen. Ross, William Roddy, Gabriel Abrams, The Risler Family, Col. Samuel Elder, Robert Hunter, John McMullin, Alfred Newlon, Lott Watson, John Mitchell, John Bradfield, The Temple of Juno, The Big Crossings, Endsley’s Old Tavern, John Campbell, William Imhoff—An Old Time Fourth of July Celebration.
From Baltimore to the point last mentioned in the preceding chapter, all the old taverns on the road are in the State of Maryland. The road crosses the dividing line between the States of Maryland and Pennsylvania, near the eastern foot of Winding Ridge. The crossing point is marked by a metal slab shaped like the ordinary mile post, and bears this inscription on one side: “State Line, Md. 96-3/4 to Wheeling, to Petersburg, 2-3/4.” On the other side: “State Line, Penna. 34-1/4 to Cumberland, to Frostburg, 23-1/4.”
Near the top of Winding Ridge, and in Somerset county, Pa., there is an old stone tavern which was built as early as the year 1819, and by John Welsh, who occupied it and conducted it down to the year 1821, when it passed to the management of Samuel Dennison, who was succeeded in turn by M. J. Clark, Isaac Ochletree, Peter Yeast, Maj. William Paul, Michael Cresap, Robert Boice and William Lenhart. John Welsh, who built this house and first occupied it, was the father-in-law of Aden Clary, well known in the early history of the road. Major Paul kept this house in 1836, and for some time thereafter. He subsequently kept a tavern in Washington, Pa., on Maiden street, opposite the female seminary, and later in West Brownsville, where he died more than forty years ago. He was familiarly known from one end of the road to the other. Voluble in speech, rotund in form, and ruddy in complexion, Major Paul was a fine type of the jolly landlord of the old road. He had a daughter, the wife of Aaron Wyatt, an old tavern keeper of the road, who always enjoyed the reputation of keeping a good house, owing in all probability to the early and practical training of his wife. Mrs. Patrick at one time owned and occupied the old stone house on top of Winding Ridge. She was the mother of W. W. Patrick, now, and for many years, the intelligent head of the old reputable and successful banking house of R. Patrick & Co., of Pittsburg. About the year 1850 the stables,appurtenant to the old stone tavern, above mentioned, and when it was kept by William Lenhart, were destroyed by fire, supposed to have been the incendiary work of a disreputable woman. The loss was serious, and included two fine horses, the property of William Hall, the typical old regular wagoner, hereinbefore mentioned. Winding Ridge derives its name from the tortuous course of the old Braddock road up the mountain, at that point.