Old Taverns and Tavern Keepers continued—Brownsville to Beallsville—West Brownsville, the Birthplace of James G. Blaine—Indian Hill, later known as Krepps’ Knob—Indian Peter and Neil Gillespie—The Adams House, John Cummins, Vincent Owens—An Old and Mysterious Murder—Malden, Bry Taylor—Tragic Death of a Beautiful Girl—Centreville, John Rogers, Zeph Riggle, Battelly White, the whip-maker, Mrs. Dutton, Eli Railley, The Old Constitution, Beallsville, David Mitchell, Andrew and Thomas Keys, Robert Cluggage, William Greenfield, Mrs. Chambers, Charles Guttery.

From the Big Crossings to the Monongahela river at Brownsville the road passes through Fayette county, Pennsylvania. After crossing the river bridge at Brownsville, going west, the traveler reaches the soil of Washington county, and plants his feet in the ancient village of West Brownsville. From the hill tops on the road, as far west as Hillsboro, glimpses are had of the receding mountains. West Brownsville has the great distinction of being the birth place of James G. Blaine, the foremost and most popular of all American statesmen of the present day. It is related in Crumrine’s valuable and well written history of Washington county, that the land upon which West Brownsville stands was originally owned by Indian Peter. This Indian Peter, at a very early day, lived on lands in the vicinity of Uniontown, and gave name to Peter’s street, the oldest street of that town. He had a neighbor whose name was Philip Shute, with whom he was not on friendly terms. Prior to 1769 Indian Peter wrote to the authorities of the proprietary government, that “he could not get along with the damned Dutchman, and wished to give up his land for another tract.” His request was promptly complied with, and he was given a tract of three hundred and thirty-nine acres, situate on the west side of the Monongahela river, which was surveyed and called “Indian Hill,” and upon this tract stands the town of West Brownsville. It embraces Krepps’ Knob, which together with the character of the old owner, accounts for the name given the tract. Krepps’ Knob is ten hundred and forty feet above the level of the Atlantic ocean. Indian Peter, it seems, died in possession of the Indian Hill tract, and it passed to his widow Mary, a white woman, and his oldest son William. In 1784 the widow and son aforesaid, sold the tract to Neil Gillespie, the great-grandfather of James G. Blaine. The price agreed upon between the parties was forty shillings per acre, payable in instalments of money, iron and one negro. This tract of land remained in the Gillespie family for many years. Philip Shute, the old German neighbor of Indian Peter, lived in Union township, Fayette county, now North Union, near the late residence of Colonel Evans, and gave name to the gushing mountain stream which flows through the lands of that vicinity. The bridge over the Monongahela river stands on an almost direct north and south line, and a short distance from its northern end the road makes a sharp angle to the westward. On the south side of this angle a tavern was kept by Samuel Adams, as early as the year 1820. Samuel Adams was the father of Estep Adams, the present polite and popular postmaster at West Brownsville. John Huston succeeded Samuel Adams in this old house. In the early days of the road this house was constantly crowded with guests. At the close of Huston’s term, the old house, which was a wooden structure, was torn down, and the present brick building was erected on its site, and continued as a tavern throughout the whole period of the road’s prosperous era, and for many years thereafter. Joshua Armstrong was the first occupant of the new building. His term was prior to the year 1840. Morris Purcell came in, after Armstrong. Dr. Adams, the postmaster before mentioned, when a boy, counted fifty road wagons standing around this old tavern, in one night, when it was kept by Morris Purcell. The wagon yard, which was large and commodious, was located on the west side, and in the rear of the house. Major William Paul, hereinbefore mentioned, succeeded Purcell in this house, about the year 1842, and retained the extensive line of wagon custom with which his predecessor was favored. James Watkins, an old stage driver of Washington, Pennsylvania, was Maj. Paul’s bar keeper at this house, and his son-in-law, Thomas Hamen Hopkins, was the successor of Maj. Paul in this house. His widow is still keeping a tavern in West Brownsville. She is well up in years, but her memory is clear and well stored with interesting reminiscences of the road. Greenberry Millburn next had charge of this house, and kept it for a brief period, when he retired, and his name does not subsequently appear on the roll of old tavern keepers. John Cummins was the next occupant of this house. He purchased the property, and held it until his death, which occurred near the close of the prosperous era of the road. He was an Irishman, thrifty and energetic, and besides tavern keeping, took contracts on public works. About the year 1859 this house passed to the control of Moses Bennington, who conducted it during the era of the civil war. He was succeeded by William Dawson, whose successor was James B. Dorsie. Doc Bar kept the house for a brief period, and one of its occupants was Robert Miller. Upon the expiration of Miller’s term Thomas H. Hopkins again took charge, and it was subsequently kept for short periods, at different times, by Solomon Watkins, James Nichols and John Taylor. The house is at present owned by the Pittsburg, Virginia and Charleston railroad company, and used as a passenger and freight station.

A few hundred yards west of the old Adams stand, and near the foot of the river hill, on the river side, an old stone house was kept as a tavern when the road was first opened, and for a number of years thereafter. The first man who catered to the wants of the traveling public at this old tavern was Vincent Owens, who had been a faithful soldier in Washington’s army in the war of the Revolution. The property belonged to the old Krepps family of the vicinity, and the old tavern stood at the northwest landing of the old Krepps ferry. Owens was succeeded at this old tavern by Samuel Acklin, and Acklin by John Krepps, a brother of Samuel J. Krepps. Morris Purcell succeeded Krepps, and went from here to the old Adams House, before mentioned. The Krepps ferry was operated in connection with the management of this old tavern, and the ferry was continued down to the year 1845. The tavern was closed here long before the decline of travel on the road. The father of Vincent Owens was murdered in this old tavern while his son was conducting it. The crime was an atrocious one, causing great excitement and indignation in the neighborhood at the time, and the manner and motives of the act seem to be shrouded in mystery. Two persons who lodged in the house over night were suspected of the crime, but they fled before the light of the morning and were never apprehended.

About two and one-half miles west of Krepps’ Ferry an ancient hamlet called by old pike boys Malden is reached. Here on the north side of the road stands an old stone tavern, which in the palmy days of the road was a popular stopping point. It belonged originally to the old Krepps family, of Brownsville, and was designed and erected for a tavern. It was evidently the belief of the old owners that a town would grow up on this site, as they caused a stone in the front wall of the old tavern, near the top, to be dressed and inscribed in cut letters with the name Kreppsville. This name, however, was not adopted by the public, but the place was, and continues to be known as Malden. The origin of this name is not positively known, but tradition has it that a party of emigrants encamping on the ground one night, fancying that it resembled the place of their nativity, Malden, probably in the State of Massachusetts, gave it that name. Be this as it may, Malden is the popular name of the locality. The old tavern here was built in two sections and at different dates. The original, which is now the western section, was built in 1822, and a dressed stone in its front wall bears that date. The second, or eastern section, was built in 1830. It is the second section that bears the name Kreppsville, above mentioned; and, in addition, the stone slab disclosing this name shows the date 1830, also the word “Liberty,” and the figure of a plow and sheaf of wheat. Bry Taylor was the first person who kept the old tavern at Malden, and he was constantly busy while there in attending to the wants of the traveling public. He had an amiable and beautiful daughter, Kizzie, who was accidentally killed in this house, causing great sorrow in the neighborhood. Her brother, James, had been out hunting one day, and returning, placed his gun negligently on a table. His sister, Miss Kizzie, be sought him to put the gun in a safe place, which he declined to do, remarking that “it wouldn’t hurt anybody where it was.” Miss Kizzie did not share his confidence in regard to the absence of danger, and proceeded to remove the gun herself. Her brother interfered to prevent the gun’s removal, when a scuffle ensued between the parties, during which the gun was discharged, and Miss Kizzie was fatally shot. The room in which this sad affair occurred is still pointed out to visitors. As if by the law of compensation, James Taylor, the brother, many years afterward was himself shot. He became a river man, and gradually made his way to points down the Ohio and Mississippi, and was finally shot and killed by a United States Marshal near Memphis. Samuel Acklin followed Taylor in the old tavern at Malden, and was favored with a large patronage, consisting mainly of wagoners and drovers. Acklin was at this house as early as 1836. Samuel Bailey succeeded Acklin, and Bailey was succeeded in turn by William Pepper and William Garrett. James Britton, now and for thirty years past, has owned this property. He occupies the old tavern as a private residence, and operates the fertile farm attached to it.

WILLIAM GREENFIELD.