 |
Century Inn
Formerly/Also Known As Hill's Tavern, Youman's Tavern, Hampson's Tavern, Gibson's Tavern, Dawson's Tavern, Lacock's Tavern
2175 National Road East
Scenery Hill, PA 15360(724) 945-6600 MeginH@centuryinn.com
www.centuryinn.com
|
A 20-room stone inn built in 1794.
From Searight's The Old Pike (1894):
Crumrine's History of Washington County, before quoted, informs us that Hillsboro [now Scenery Hill] was laid out in the year 1819, a date coincident with the completion of the road. The proprietors of the town were Stephen Hill and Thomas McGiffin, and Crumrine's history contains the following notice of the first public sale of lots:
“The public are informed that a town has been laid off, to be called Hillsboro, adjoining Hill's stone tavern, about equal distance from Washington to Brownsville, and that lots will be sold on the premises on Monday, the 19th day of August, at public auction. Sale to commence at 10 o'clock A. M.
July 19, 1819
Stephen Hill,brp>
Thomas McGiffinbr>
Proprietors
Accompanying the plat of the town as recorded, says Crumrine, were these remarks: “The above is a plan of the town of Hillsboro, nearly equi-distant between Brownsville and Washington, Pennsylvania, on the United States road.” Signed by the proprietors. Stephen Hill belonged to an old family of that name, which was among the early settlers of the region, and Thomas McGiffin was an old and prominent lawyer of Washington, and a contractor on the original construction of the road, father of Col. Norton McGiffin, a soldier of two wars, and Sheriff and member of the Legislature for Washington county. Hill's stone tavern was in existence as early as 1794. In the early history of the National Road, and for a number of years, it was the leading tavern of Hillsboro, kept by Thomas Hill, who was not a son, but a near relative, probably a nephew, of Stephen Hill, the old proprietor. Samuel Youman kept this house fifty years ago, after the retirement of Hill. Youman was a stage driver as well as a tavern keeper, and next to “Old Mount,” as before stated, the biggest man on the road. One of the stage lines, that on which Youman was a driver, stopped at this house, and it was the only stage house on the road that was largely patronized by old wagoners, and their favor was obtained probably by reason of the spacious and commodious wagon yard in front of the house. John Hampson, John Gibson, William Dawson and Oliver Lacock each in turn kept this house since Youman's time, and it is at present continued as a tavern by Mr. Lacock's son.
|
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: 2014-04-21 20:10:18 |
|
|
|
|
