 |
Watering Tough Restaurant (site)
Formerly/Also Known As Empire Dance Club
Laurel Hill, PA 15445From Searight's The Old Pike (1894):
About a mile down the western slope of Laurel Hill we come to the famous watering trough. Here William Downard lived for many years in a stone house built against the hillside. He did not keep a tavern, for he had no ground for teams to stand upon, and no stabling that was accessible, but he always maintained the big water-trough in good condition pro bono publico, and it would be almost impossible for big teams to make the ascent of Laurel Hill, in hot weather without water. Downard was eccentric and cross, and begrudged the use of his water to persons he did not like, although the supply was inexhaustible. He was born near Uniontown of English parentage, a Federalist in politics, and a skeptic in religion. He was endowed with strong sense, and could argue with considerable force. He has been dead many years.
During the early automobiling era, the watering trough provided sought-after water for motorists. It was used to cool brakes for downhill/westbound drivers and it also filled overheated radiators of uphill/eastbound drivers. A restaurant and dance club were constructed at this location. They burned down in the 1990s.
View user comments below.
No comments have been posted.
Feedback: Do you have corrections or contributions for this page? Want to make a suggestion? Click here to send me an e-mail. I am espcially interested in memories, stories, postcards and photographs. Thanks!
Last updated: 2014-04-03 14:19:39 |
|
|
|
|
