The Old Pike: A History of the National Road, with Incidents, Accidents, and Anecdotes ThereonSearight, Thomas B. (Thomas Brownfield)
History
The Old Pike: A History of the National Road, with Incidents, Accidents, and Anecdotes Thereon
Searight, Thomas B. (Thomas Brownfield)
Cumberland Road; Pennsylvania -- Biography
Near the top of Laurel Hill on the eastern slope, once lived a noted
character named Benjamin Price. His house, a log structure, was built
near the roadside, but below its surface, so that the upper story was
about on a level with the road. He kept a cake shop, was an acting
justice of the peace, and a strict Methodist, and was in the habit of
annoying wagoners and hog drovers by fining them for swearing, and they
in turn annoyed him by throwing billets of wood and disabled hogs down
his chimney. Price is long since dead, and the last vestige of his old
house has disappeared. The stable nearby it remained longer, but it has
gone, too. A few apple trees planted by the hands of the 'Squire, now
encroached upon by the mountain undergrowth, are all that remain to
indicate the spot where the old house stood.
[Illustration: STONE HOUSE, DARLINGTON'S.]
We next reach the "Summit House." This is not a wagon stand, nor
strictly an old tavern, but rather a fashionable and popular summer
resort. It is on the apex of Laurel Hill, and has the advantage of pure
air, and an extensive and charming view of the surrounding and
underlying country. At this point large finger boards were erected,
indicating distances and routes to the Washington Springs, Dulaney's
Cave and Jumonville's Grave, which are landmarks indelibly impressed
upon the memories of surviving wagoners and stage drivers. The property
here belongs to [V]Col. Samuel Evans, a wealthy and well known citizen
of Fayette county. [W]Ephraim McClean kept the house here for many
years, and made it famous by the excellence and style of his
entertainment. His flannel cakes and spring chickens have passed into
history, as unrivalled productions of culinary art and tempters of the
appetite. There is a large spring and bath house here. This has ever
been a favorite resort of parties in pursuit of pleasure. Here the
youth, beauty and fashion of Uniontown were wont to come to while away
an evening in eating, dancing and other diversions. The rooms were
small, but the pleasure was unbounded. Here also the yeomanry of the
county came to make a harvest home, or celebrate an anniversary. The
drive, up and down the mountain, is delightful, and formed no small
share of the pleasure incident to the old time parties at this popular
place of resort.
[Footnote V: Deceased.]
[Footnote W: Deceased.]
Ephraim McClean left this house many years ago and settled in Illinois.
He was succeeded by Henry Clay Rush, who maintained the reputation of
the house during his occupancy, but left it in 1856 to go to Searights.
Brown Hadden came in after Rush, and after Hadden the house was
successively kept by Stephen W. Snyder, John Snyder, William Boyd and
Webb Barnet, the present occupant. Anterior to the erection of the
present buildings, and many years ago, one Molly Calhoun kept a small
cake shop at this point, and displayed upon her sign-board the following
quaint legend:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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