Existing comment:
Mount Washington Tavern:
This tavern once bustled with activity. Judge Nathaniel Ewing of Uniontown built it about 1830, then sold it in 1840 to James Sampey, who ran the tavern with his family. Mount Washington Tavern was a stage stop for the Good Intent Stage Line, one of many stage lines using the National Road. This was one of the finer taverns along the road, catering to stagecoach passengers.
Once inside, travelers cleaned up from their long day's trip, then ate a hot meal in the dining room. Later, the women gathered in the parlor while the men congregated in the barroom. There were no private bedrooms. Men and women slept in separate rooms, usually fully clothed, and sometimes shared bedspace. Often awakened before 5am, they continued on their journey.
Outside the Mount Washington Tavern stood a stable, shed, and other outbuildings. The tavern's stables provided fresh teams of horses for the Good Intent Stage Line. These stagecoaches -- pulled by teams of four -- changed horses every 10 to 15 miles during their 60- to 70-mile trip each day.
The tavern's west wall originally had no windows, two doors, and a different chimney configuration. A 1930s remodeling gave the tavern its present appearance.
[A brochure mentions that the prosperity along the National Road started to decline after the railroads started coming through. In 1855, the tavern was sold but over the next 75 years only occasionally had paying guests.] |