Traveling the National Road - Taverns and Wagon Stands

For more on the National Road, check out this blog: 125 M to B: The National Pike and National Road

Well enough about Guns N’ Roses. Oddly enough, though, while in the campus bookstore I heard Sweet Child O’ Mine playing, and then not an hour later while walking along University Avenue a girl drove by blaring the same song from her car speakers. And on a brisk January day might I add. Weird. If I knew where to buy a lottery ticket, I would have! Anyway, lets get back on topic with the National Road. The topic is taverns and what it was like to travel along one of America’s first major highways. Also, keep in mind traveling today. What has replaced the tavern, better yet, what has replaced the National Road? Before we start that, lets look at this little tid bit of information about my hometown of Triadelphia, WV.

A tavern would be found about every twelve miles along the National Road and a wagon stand approximately every mile. The difference between a tavern and wagon stand is substantial and the characteristics between the two must be discussed. A tavern would be a place for travelers to lodge after a day of probably traveling by stagecoach along the road. Some taverns catered to specific stagecoach lines. At a tavern guest would be given a meal, grain and water for their animals, and a place to sleep.
The most successful wagon house is similar to the modern day truck stop and could be found outside of large towns such as Wheeling, WV. The wagon house was designed to accommodate the rough men who were responsible for shipping merchandise. It was not uncommon to find a hundred horses being fed at a single wagon yard.
One similarity shared between taverns and wagons stands was the fireplace. Some of the fireplaces were up to seven feet long and able to hold up to a wagonload of wood. The bigger the fireplace the merrier the stay would be, the opinion of many travelers along the road. Along with the fireplace came the poker. The poker was used to stir the fire. “The Keeper-of-the-Poker” was the tavern owner and they took pride in controlling the massive fire that was supposed to portray his or her hospitality. “Boss” Rush, owner of a tavern near Smithsfield even kept his poker under lock and key.
With a jolly atmosphere such as this it was not uncommon for the locals to participate in the festivities. Sleighing parties would often visit the taverns along the National Road. Mrs. Gooding’s tavern (owned by Moses and Lydia Shepherd) was a stone structure that was well known for its cordial entertainment from travelers and locals alike. Sleighing parties from Wheeling would visit the tavern to sing, dance, listen to fiddle players, and tell stories.
The naming of taverns varied greatly. Some were named after the proprietor and never changed, even after a change in ownership. Some names revealed the nostalgic of old England such as the Black Horse or the White Swan. In later years tavern names reflected the importance of well known American leaders. Names that involved the usage of the word “liberty” were common. Most taverns were operated by men but there were a few also run by woman, mostly widows, and for them tavern keeping provided a sufficient income.
The average tavern was two story dwelling. The first floor was used for dinning, reading, parlor rooms, and depending on its location some served as a stagecoach office. Taverns were always well stocked with whiskey. Tavern keepers did not seek profit from their whiskey sales but simply saw it as a way to provide their guest with accommodation. The meals one would receive while staying at a tavern included hot biscuits, venison cutlets, ham and eggs, roast chicken, johnnycakes, and waffles. Wild game was also a specialty which included quail, pheasant, goose, rabbit, squirrel, wild turkey, salted bear meat, fresh fish from nearby streams, and some eastern taverns always had a fresh supply of oysters on hand. Before departure in the morning one could expect a hearty breakfast served with sausage, buckwheat cakes, ham and eggs, and maple syrup.
A tavern kept by John Bentley and later James Kimberly located east of Triadelphia, West Virginia was another establishment enjoyed by both locals and travelers of the road. Thomas B. Searight, stagecoach driver and longtime observer of the road referred to this tavern as “a favorite resort of the young rural residents, male and female, of that portion of old Virginia and here they were accustomed to go for a nights festivity, always confining themselves within the bounds of propriety, but within those bounds enjoying themselves in a high degree.” Although only a vague description and location of this tavern exist it is important to understand how these taverns influenced not only the travelers of the road but local residents as well.
Roney’s Point was the site of another famous tavern which is still standing today, the Stone House which was run by numerous proprietors. This tavern would become well known and visited because of its association with the stagecoach lines such as the Simms line and Good Intent line.

A Stone House at Roney’s Point in Triadelphia, WV. That white thing to the right is a new addition, the coke machine is not original, a new roof, but for the most part the look hasn’t changed. There are signs that parts of the stone are starting crumble. It’s not as inviting as it was in the past, but still a fine piece of National Road heritage. Today the building is used by a contractor, but what they really use it for, I’m not sure.

Descriptions of stagecoach travel can easily be described as treacherous, and after a long day of travel, inns such as the Stone House could be very inviting and comforting. If it wasn’t, that tavern owner would soon be out of business.
Some stagecoach lines would run different campaigns to persuade prospective travelers to use their line. Gen. N.P. Talmadge, an avid speaker in favor of temperance made speeches along the National Road and required his drivers to take a pledge to refrain from drinking alcohol. At a stop at Cambridge, Ohio Talmadge gathered with his drivers at a Presbyterian church and sang a song to demonstrate his commitment to attentive and courteous drivers.

Our horses are true and coaches fine,

No upsets or runaways;

Nor drunken drivers to swear and curse,

For its cold water all the days.

As one can see by the above passage putting your life in the hand of a stagecoach driver was not always the safest, it depended heavily on their employer and their own personal morals.

Matildas Houstoun’s Journey

Matildas Houstoun’s journey from Cumberland to Brownsville was recorded in November of 1847. Houstoun’s recollection of the road is quite unique because she was from England visiting the United States. Her reason for traveling along the National Road is unknown, but her perspective tells us a lot about the culture that could be found in America compared to England.
Houstoun and her party hired a private stagecoach driver which in England was called a “exclusive extra”. This particular coach held nine passengers and was brightly painted with the scene of a painted Indian on its doors. The stagecoach was made of the lightest material possible and had large leather springs that would help absorb holes and ruts that would be crossed by the wheels of the stagecoach on the road. In England during this time if Houstoun planned to travel this type of distance she would have taken the railroad which is probably what inclined her to write the following:
“The public stage is the usual mode of conveyance, for the Americans who are too little susceptible of petty annoyances, and not sufficiently alive to the delicacies of life, to find a carriage crowded with the promiscuous company at all disagreeable, or to be willing to pay their dollars for empty places.”
Although the stagecoach appeared comfortable while motionless, it was quite a chore to stay relaxed once travel began. Houstoun describes the journey as treacherous and not for a second can one not concentrate on holding on for their life. Because Houstoun and her party were traveling with a private stagecoach driver their journey was somewhat more conformable than travel with a stagecoach line which Houstoun was thankful for. Accidents were common because of the landscape which they traveled. All along the road were deep ravines, no protection from these ravines, and stagecoache roll rovers were quite common.
After a full day of travel the driver stopped at an inn which was owned by “a stout, burly mountaineer” who was not used to regular patrons visiting but greeted Houstoun and the rest of her party with a very warm welcome. Although the inn did not have the fire ready or any other accommodations made the owner quickly started fixing the fire which was most welcome after their long journey on the road. Soon after that, they were served a meal that included lumps of salted bear’s meat (cold), hot venison steak, and later some mountain honey which all appeared to please the travelers. The owner of the tavern is described as treating all of the guests with great hospitality. For example serving their food and making himself “agreeable to the best of his ways and means.”
Her characterization of the mountaineer provides some background about the people who live along the National Road. Although he was a rugged man, to her not the most civilized creature, he was still quite educated and maintained a steady conversation with his patrons. Some of their talk included Oregon, California, sporting, taxation, and the chances of war. Houstoun’s evening at the inn was far from boring and she could not help but think “how differently a man, belonging to the same class in England, would in all probability have behaved if placed in similar situations.” As Houstoun explains, traveling on the road could be unpredictable and dangerous, and taverns provided travelers with hospitable lodging. Travels such as this would soon become a thing of the past along the National Road because of the rapid expansion of the B.O. Railroad westward.

Merritt Ireley, Traveling the National Road (The Overlook Press 1990)

Archer Butler Hulbert, The Old National Road (Columbus : F. J. Heer, 1901).