Taverns and inns have a long history in our country and Chester County, writes Jennifer Green and Sarah Wagner for County Lines Magazine.
For centuries, travelers from near and far relied on the taverns across historic Chester County for a hot meal, warm bed, and roof over their head as they went about their journey.
These lodgings provided more than just shelter; they also offered social gatherings, filled with ale to drink and news to tell. This buzz of activity made tavernkeepers responsible for the monitoring of customers’ drinking habits and acts of loitering. Likewise, the innkeepers also had limit partying, gambling, and cursing.
The tavern owners were obligated to apply for a new operating license each year to account for these responsibilities.
While women were not often able to become tavernkeepers, as men secured a better “standing” in society, there were a few fair women-owned taverns. Two of the best-known female innkeepers were Mary “Polly” Pearson, from West Chester and Ann Mason “The Widow Mason,” the keeper of Spread Eagle in West Chester.
As licenses were hard to come by, there weren’t as many taverns as necessary to house the number of travelers venturing through. Those on long journeys would simply stop at private residences, needing a meal and a bed.
Those who housed travelers time and time again could even apply for a tavern license.
Read more about the history of taverns and inns in Chester County at County Lines Magazine.
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Editor’s Note: This post first appeared on VISTA Today in January 2025.
