Sunday, July 26, 2009

Clarysville Inn



The Inn stood on the National Highway between Cumberland and Frostburg from 1807 until 1999 when it was destroyed by fire. It also served as a hospital during the civil war, perhaps Doctor March was nursed there by Mrs Marsh while Jo and her sisters stayed at home!

It was a Stagecoach stop rather than a Waggoner’s stop, “Waggoners knew where and how to have more fun”. I’ve looked online and this is the oldest postcard (from the 1920s) I could find, the image also appears on this site along with the very interesting history of the Inn. Here you see a picture of the Inn after the fire, almost exactly 10 years ago

If you click on the image you can read “Chicken Dinner”, “Excellent dining Room Service”, there is a Coca Cola advertisement and a Bath would have cost 1$50.

Researching this sort of postcard is what I love best about my job. If you’re from the Frostburg - Cumberland area, do you remember the Inn? Why did a fire start?

Ahem, the postcard is for auction here. If you scroll down far enough you'll find some English details . My postcard blog is Time and Oft

3 comments:

alan said...

A beautiful old place; a shame it was lost!

The house my wife grew up in in Vermont has parts that are over 140 years old now; as it's been added on and the ground shifts, each section slopes a different direction from the original. It has early Edison wiring in places, some in use, some not; there have been 3 electrical fires in the house in the time I've known it.

"Indoor plumbing" was added by my late father-in-law when he bought the place in the early 50's, using an uphill spring to gravity feed water into it and digging a septic for the "waste" side. He also dug a basement under it, where you can still see the original hand hewn 12"x12" beams...

alan

Anji said...

Yes it is a shame. It's good to know that people were interested enough to set up the website. Your in laws house sounds incredible. Whan I was very small I lived in a house that was built in the 17th century. (1652 I think it was)My mum hated it, draughty, dusty and an ourside toilet! It's since been restored back to its former glory and bathroom added.

Anji said...

Alch: Sorry not interested