The Old Pike / A History of the National Road, with Incidents, Accidents, and Anecdotes Thereon

by Thomas B. Searight

A short distance, less than a mile further west, the widow Rhodes kept a popular wagon stand as early as 1830. Another widow, and no exception to the rule, before stated. Her house was a frame building, on the south side of the road, and a busy, bustling hostelry. Abram Beagle, an old wagoner, became the husband of the widow Rhodes, as elsewhere in these pages stated, and relieved her of many of the active cares of tavern keeping, until his death, which occurred in this house, leaving his wife a second time a widow, and she continued the business of tavern keeping as the widow Beagle, with her usual success. Abram Beagle was likewise, and before he married Mrs. Rhodes, a contractor on the road. His work was near the Little Crossings.

The next old tavern on the west, and a short distance from the widow Rhodes’ house, was kept as early as 1830 by John White. It was a frame house on the north side of the road. Mrs. Beck, before mentioned, subsequently bought this property, improved it in many details, and especially by the erection of a substantial new stable, with a capacity for sheltering one hundred horses. She conducted this tavern in 1833, and kept the stock and boarded the drivers and other employees of the Stockton line of coaches. She was a favorite of that line, and patronized by it at all points of the road where she kept a tavern, except at the Greene House in Washington, where she had the favor and patronage of the Good Intent line. The old White stand was kept by the widow Miller and her son, after Mrs. Beck left it, and they were succeeded by Peter Perkins, and he in turn by John Brotherton.

One mile further west Isaac Jones kept a tavern as early as 1835, and probably before that date. His house was a frame building on the north side of the road. He was not active in soliciting patronage, and after a brief and not very successful career as a tavern keeper, closed his house to the public and continued to occupy it as a private residence, and it was never thereafter opened as a tavern.

Rooney’s Point is next reached, a stage station ten miles from Wheeling. The original owner of the land here was Roney, and its peculiar conformation, a high ridge ending in a point on the south side of the road, gave it the name of Roney’s Point. It is a familiar name, and was a lively place during the palmy days of the road. On the north side of the road, at Roney’s Point, a large stone tavern was kept by one Ninian Bell, prior to the year 1828. He was succeeded by James Beck, Mrs. Sarah Beck, Moses Thornburg, and Jacob Beck, in the order named. James and Jacob Beck were not relatives. The old Simms line of stages stopped at this house when it was kept by James Beck, and it was the stopping place of the Good Intent line, when kept by Jacob Beck.

MRS. SARAH BECK.

One mile west of Roney’s Point, on the south side, stood an old frame tavern, which, in the eventful days of the road gathered in its share of glory. It was kept first by John Bentley, and after him by James Kimberly. In addition to the custom it gained from the road, this house was 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 night’s festivity, always confining themselves within the bounds of propriety, but within those bounds enjoying themselves in a high degree. There is many a gray-haired veteran living in the vicinity now, of both sexes, whose memories revert with pleasure to the exciting and exhilarating scenes they witnessed and participated in, at John Bentley’s old tavern.

One mile further west, Triadelphia is reached, a small village, and like many others, the outgrowth of the National Road. Here John D. Foster kept a tavern at an early day, and very old pike boys say it was a good one. It was a frame building on the north side of the road. The old landlord is said to have been courteous in deportment, given to hospitality, and scrupulously observant of the proprieties of life. His daughter, Mary, became the wife of C. S. Malt by, the celebrated oyster dealer of Baltimore. The first parties who shipped oysters over the road by express were Nicholas Roe, Edward Wright, and Holt and Malt by. The latter firm soon obtained entire control of the business, and made a fortune in it. Malt by died within the past two years in Connecticut, and Holt was killed in a railroad accident in Virginia in 1852. Colonel Thompson also kept a tavern in Triadelphia in an early day. His house was a frame building, on the north side. Colonel Thompson was a gentleman of the old Virginia school, and a fine type of the genial landlord. He ceased keeping this house previous to 1840, and was succeeded by William Barnes, who in turn was succeeded by Edward Lane, and Lane by Frank Lawson. This house was largely patronized by pleasure seekers from Wheeling and other places, beside doing an extensive road business, and enjoyed an excellent reputation as a hostelry.

Three miles further west the old tavern of Mrs. Gooding, another widow, is reached. The site of this old tavern is now covered by the flourishing village of Elm Grove. Mrs. Gooding had a wide fame as a hostess, and her house was crowded by patrons. It is a stone building, still standing, situate on the south side of the road. Old wagoners to this day, enthuse over the sumptuousness of the widow Coding’s table. Sleighing parties from Wheeling frequented this old tavern in the halcyon days of the road, and were handsomely entertained.