Self-guided Tavern Tour - East

(This 33-mile tour begins and ends in Carlisle )

Although the main purpose of a tavern was to provide food and lodging for "man and beast," the tavern also served as a social and civic center for local residents.

Men gathered at taverns for pints of beer or bowls of punch, to hear the latest news, to read the newspaper, to play cards, to socialize, and to conduct business.

Unless they were traveling, women only came to taverns on special occasions. Traveling dancing masters put up at the larger taverns in town where they gave dancing lessons for a week or two and then held a ball. Traveling theater companies performed scenes from Shakespeare and the popular plays of the day. During the winter, sleighing parties brought fiddlers with them and county residents danced the night away at taverns throughout the county.

For several weeks each spring breeders brought horses to taverns to be bred with local stock. The breeders made money by charging so much "per leap," and the tavernkeepers made money selling drinks to the locals who came.

The temperance movement and the coming of the railroad in the 1830s were largely responsible for the decline of the traditional tavern.

There are at least fifty-four 18th and early 19th C. tavern houses remaining in Cumberland County . This tour includes ten taverns.

Note: The taverns on this tour are all private homes or businesses and are not open for tours with the exception of the Frankeberger tavern which can be viewed by appointment.

Carlisle

"Sign of the Turk" ( 137 E. High St .)

Every turn of the spade in the back yard of this property yields broken crockery, bottles, and the refuse of more than 200 years of occupation. Tavernkeeper John Pollock built this house in the 1760s. The tavern was described in a 1773 newspaper ad as a 33 foot square stone house with a 25 foot square stone addition that housed a kitchen and bar room on the first floor and lodging rooms on the second. Both buildings are still standing. There was a brewery and a still in the cellar, and the stone-lined well can still be seen today.

This large tavern was favored by traveling dancing masters who gave lessons and held candlelit balls here in the 18th and early 19th centuries. The house was updated c. 1870 when a mansard roof and a new cornice were added. Although the windows and doors have been altered, the original stone arches can still be seen at the window and cellar openings.

"Sign of the Eagle & Harp" ( 131 N. East St .)

This classic 5-bay Georgian-style house with a center hall was built in 1803 by tavernkeeper Charles McManus. Note the date stone on the front of the house. McManus also built and operated a distillery at the lower end of the lot adjoining the Letort stream.

This section of town was considered rough, and McManus's rowdy Irish tavern, named the "Sign of the Eagle and Harp," was the scene of many fights during his reign as tavernkeeper. McManus died in 1817, and the tavern and distillery were sold. One of the mantels from this house is in the museum at the Cumberland County Historical Society in Carlisle .

"Sign of General Washington" (NW corner Pomfret & S. Hanover Sts.)

From 1778-1798, a colorful sign with the image of George Washington greeted patrons to this tavern. The 18th C. tavern, a two-story brick building with a one-story stone kitchen, was torn down when this three-story brick building was built in 1823. Although the windows and doors have been altered, you can still see the tops of the original brick lintels extending above some of the windows. The tavern operated as a hotel until the 1850s when it was converted to a private residence.

At the Square, leave Carlisle via North Hanover St. (which becomes the Harrisburg Pike). The first tavern is 1.3 miles from the Square. The tavern, now Jacob's Resting Place B & B, is on the Right side of the road and can easily be missed. The tavern is immediately after the Rt. 11 N sign. There is a large garden with a sundial facing Rt. 11.

Harrisburg/Carlisle Pike (Rt. 11 ) The Harrisburg/Chambersburg Turnpike, was begun in 1816. The pike followed the 18th C. Great Road that led from Harris's Ferry on the Susquehanna River at Harrisburg to the Potomac River. Toll booths and taverns were located every few miles along the road. Note: The pike is called the Harrisburg Pike for several miles as it heads toward Harrisburg and then the name changes to the Carlisle Pike.

"Sign of the Green Tree" (1007 Harrisburg Pike- Right side) 1.3 miles from Square

When Jacob Mateer applied for a tavern license in 1803, he stated that he had "erected a large, spacious two-story brick house on the main road from Carlisle to Harrisburg." Mateer kept the tavern until his death in 1813. The tavern is now a B & B named Jacob's Resting Place, which is the name Mateer chose when he obtained the land. The road originally ran in front of the house, so the side of the building that is visible from the road is actually the back of the house.

"Sign of the Rising Sun" (1076 Harrisburg Pike - Left side) 1.9 miles from Square

The "Sign of the Rising Sun" tavern stood on this spot before 1800. An officer at Carlisle Barracks wrote that he remembered tavernkeeper Samuel Swartz who kept a bear at the tavern in 1817. John Boden, Esq. built this elegant brick house in 1823 to replace the old tavern. When the property was sold at a sheriff sale in 1824, it included a brick stable, tenant houses, barns, stables, and a blacksmith shop. The interior of the house is largely intact with a delicate staircase and many original mantels.

Continue on Rt. 11 past the entrance to the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and past the ramps to I-81. " Bell 's Tavern" is on the Left side of the road 5.3 miles from the Square. There is room to pull off Rt. 11 across from the tavern (now the Stone House Auto Sales) or you can cross the road and drive onto the property.

" Bell 's Tavern" (7086 Carlisle Pike- Left side) 5.3 miles from Square

This large and well-known tavern along the Great Road was built before 1798. Its perch atop Stony Ridge made it a landmark in its day. John Bell kept the tavern from 1780 until his death in 1807. His son Thomas took over the tavern and renamed it the "Sign of the Rattlesnake." The original staircase from the first floor to the attic remains as well as cupboards and woodwork on the second floor.

Continue on Rt. 11. The next tavern is 1.3 miles ahead in the village of New Kingston. Stay in the Right lane through the village. Pull off the road at the sign for the Cumberland Valley Motel. The stone tavern is directly across the road.

"Sign of the Lyon " ( 3 Main St . New Kingston - Left side) 6.6 miles from Square

Benjamin Junkin, a blacksmith, built this tavern c. 1790. He died in 1807 and was buried near a large walnut tree 200 yards from the house. His widow Agnes kept the tavern going until 1811, when she sold the property at a public auction. The property included the stone tavern house, a frame barn, frame stables, a milk house, smokehouse, a large stone blacksmith house, and an orchard. There is a large cooking fireplace on the east end of the first floor and corner fireplaces on the west end of the first and second floors. The 18th C. staircase leads to the second floor which retains its beaded board walls, raised six-paneled doors, and moveable partition wall in the ballroom.

Continue on Rt. 11 for 2.9 miles to the intersection of Rt. 114. Turn Right onto Rt. 114 ( Hogestown Rd. ) and travel 2.9 miles to the intersection of Rt. 641 ( Trindle Rd. ) at traffic light. Turn Left and travel through Mechanicsburg for .5 mile to "Frankeberger Tavern." Turn Left at the tavern into the parking lot at Frankeberger Place .

Trindle Road (Rt. 641) Trindle Road was laid out in the 1750s and named after an early settler at the spring near Mechanicsburg. The road was heavily traveled because it was toll free, unlike the Harrisburg/Chambersburg Turnpike that ran parallel to it.

"Frankeberger Tavern" ( 217 E. Main St. , Mechanicsburg)

George Frankeberger is thought to have been the first tavernkeeper in Mechanicsburg. Existing records show that he kept a tavern from 1801-1809. This log house is believed to have been his tavern. Like many old buildings, the log house had been altered greatly over the years. When the building was donated to the Mechanicsburg Museum Association in 1983, they began the restoration of the building that continues to this day. The tavern is open to the public at various times during the year and may be toured by appointment by calling the Mechanicsburg Museum Association at (717) 697-6088.

Turn Right out of the parking lot at the tavern. Follow Rt. 641. The "Sign of the Unicorn" tavern is 4.8 miles ahead on the Right, just past Stone House Road .

Thomas Williamson kept a tavern here as early as 1796. Sometime between 1810-1815 he built the present stone house. Much of the original interior is intact including a moveable board wall on the second floor that could be raised to provide a large room for dancing. When the property was sold in 1835 it included the stone house with frame addition, a large stone stable, a frame and log barn, a blacksmith shop, two wells of "excellent" water, and an orchard.

Continue on Rt. 641. The next tavern is 1.9 miles ahead on the Left.

"Webbert's Tavern" ( 1600 Trindle Road at Middlesex Rd.-Left side)

The first mention of a tavern being kept in this house was in 1830 when Melchior Webbert bought the property. Meetings of the Horse Thief Detecting Society of Cumberland County were held here. Webbert ran the tavern until 1838. After Webbert left, it was run by a succession of tavernkeepers, and in 1858, the county atlas showed J. Richer's Hotel located here.

Follow this road to Carlisle (3 miles). The tour ends there.

Spend the night in a tavern. There are two taverns in Cumberland County that are now B&B's, and you may wish to stay in one them.

• Jacobs Resting Place
• Field and Pine

Dine in a tavern. The Boiling Springs Tavern is the only 19th C. tavern in the county that is still operating as a tavern. It is open Tuesdays through Saturdays for lunch and dinner.

• Boiling Springs Tavern