Have you ever taken a trip and had to spend a night away from home? Many people who traveled the National Road needed places to sleep and eat. So people built taverns and inns along the road for the travelers.
Stands or stops along the road were built for use by drovers, wagon drivers, and stagecoach passengers. Drovers and wagoners ate cheap meals and slept on the floor or under their wagons at drover and wagon stands. Stands or taverns for stagecoaches were more expensive. The coachman would blow his coachman's horn before he got to the tavern. The owner of the tavern could then be ready for the guests. The tired travelers would stay at the tavern to eat, talk about their trip, and sleep. Meals at a tavern were large, and people ate fast so they could make room for the other guests waiting their turn. Meals cost about 25 cents for each person, but less for children.
Guests at a tavern might find themselves quite crowded. People slept 2 or 3 to a bed, and also on the floor. Men and boys slept in some rooms, and women and girls slept in others. The blankets and sheets may not have been very clean. Most people slept in their clothes. People would pay about 50 cents each day to stay at a coach stand.
Many mornings the stagecoach would leave before daybreak to travel for another day.
1. Pretend you have just stayed in a tavern or stand along the National Road. Write a story about your stay.
2. Why do we know more about the stagecoach stands than we do about other stands?
The history of the Mt. Washington Tavern and the people who ran it.