Book Review: Taverns of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
Taverns of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, 1750-1840. By Merri Lou Schaumann. Illustrated, 250 pp. Carlisle: Cumberland County Historical Society, 1994. $34.95.
Cumberland County Taverns
Carlisle's Black Rock
In 1818, Jacob Baughman of Carlisle drew a map of Carlisle noting the locations of churches, graveyards, public buildings, still houses, tanneries, and the names by which each of the borough’s street corners were known.1 His map shows “Black Rock” on the north west corner of Main and W
Thomas Carothers, Tavernkeeper (1770-1851)
In 1805, Thomas Carothers purchased the large stone house on the north west corner of Carlisle’s Square and opened the “Sign of Columbus” tavern.1 The house had belonged to merchant John Montgomery, and it was there that President George Washington hosted a dinner for Governor Thomas M
Churchtown Church Members Petition the Court for No New Taverns
Churchtown, a village in Monroe Township (originally in Allen Township) is located 6 miles from Carlisle, about 2 ½ miles from Boiling Springs, and 5 ½ miles from Mechanicsburg. The center of the village is crossed by Old Stone House Road and Rt. 174.
Fire in Lisburn village on July 29, 1841
The village of Lisburn is located in the eastern portion of Cumberland County in a loop of the Yellow Breeches Creek and is bounded by York County. An iron forge was established there before the Revolution and a mill in the 1780s.
The Tavernkeeper’s Wife: Elizabeth Pope
Being the wife of a tavernkeeper meant that Elizabeth helped with the running of the tavern as well as taking care of her family. Washing, cleaning, cooking in a hot kitchen over a fire for hours as well as helping in the barroom was hard work.
Mrs. Elizabeth Ross: Shopkeeper/Feme Sole Trader
Mrs. Ross, as her name was written on the “Applyers of Lots” in Carlisle in 1751, may have been the wife of John Ross, keeper of the Blue Rock Ferry in Hempfield Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, who according to court records, turned his wife Elizabeth out of his house in 1737. In 1741, he was ordered to pay her 3 shillings and 6 pence per week for her support.
Revolutionary War Era Tavernkeeper Robert White
In a series of letters between Robert White and his Philadelphia supplier, John Mitchell, we learn something about White’s family, the names of the waggoners who hauled his goods from Philadelphia to Carlisle, the kinds of food and liquors he ordered, and the way business was conducted.