User:Herrtavern

The Herr Tavern & Publick House was built in 1815 by Thomas Sweeney. Sweeney built his tavern here to capitalize on the route that led west. This is now US Rt. 30. It is possible that while Sweeney owned the tavern, Davey Lewis hid out here. Davey Lewis was a famous bank robber in the early 1800’s. There are stories of “Lewis the Robber” using the tavern as a base of operations for counterfeiting. If this was the Davey Lewis of legend, he had to have been here when Thomas Sweeney owned the building, because Davey Lewis died in prison in Bellefonte in 1820. Bank robbers aside, Mr. Sweeney’s prosperity would not last long; Thomas Sweeney would only own the building for twelve years. In 1827 he was forced to declare bankruptcy and had to sell his tavern. In 1828, Frederick Herr purchased the tavern that still bears his name. Frederick Herr turned the tavern into a fixture in the area; in fact, the ridge it sits on is called Herr Ridge. By all accounts, Herr ran the tavern well. He provided food, drinks and lodging for travelers as well as the locals. It seems that he also had some less than legitimate business ventures as well. According to stories and legends, he allowed a friend to use the basement of Herr Tavern for a counterfeiting operation, too. Frederick would then launder this money through the tavern, passing it off to people heading west. There is also a story that he used the upstairs as a brothel. It seems that Mr. Herr had a very diversified portfolio. Even though it appears that Frederick Herr used his tavern for some illegal purposes, he put it to good use as well. In the years before the Civil War, Frederick Herr allowed his tavern to be used by the Underground Railroad. No one knows how many people were helped to freedom by Mr. Herr. The Civil War removed the need rot the Underground Railroad, it also blasted through Herr Tavern. The summer of 1863 would forever change the history of Herr Tavern. On the night of June 30th, an advanced guard of Union General John Buford’s Cavalry camped on Herr Ridge. On the beginning of the next morning, July 1st, a few muskets shots were heard. These few shots soon became a torrent of fire. The Confederates of General Henry Heth pushed Buford’s troops back to the outskirts of Gettysburg. What started as a minor skirmish was quickly developing into the most costly battle of the war. Herr Tavern was overrun by the Confederates, and remained behind Confederate lines for the length of the three-day battle. It is during this time that the Herr Tavern had its saddest and most traumatic use. Herr Tavern was the nearest building to the fighting, so naturally it was the first Confederate hospital. Several of the rooms were turned into operating theaters. It is said that amputated limbs were thrown out a window into a waiting wagon for burial. A Civil War hospital was the closest thing to hell you could ever experience. Wounded men were everywhere. There were little or no painkillers available. The concept of sterilizing instruments was not yet known. Surgeons would wipe off their bare hands to locate the ball or piece of iron that had torn into the unfortunate patient. The smell of blood, death, and decay permeated the building. With all that energy being expended, it is no wonder that some of it still remains. The conditions here at Herr Tavern during the battle and after were horrendous. The summer of 1863 was an unusually hot one. The first three days of July were no exception. The temperatures were in the upper 80’s and the humidity was just as high. Try to imagine what it was like to be wounded and lying in the hot sun or in a sitting room waiting your turn on the surgeon’s table. There is no record of how many men spent their last hours in the charnel house that the Herr Tavern had become, but it must be a truly frightening number. Frederick Herr owned the tavern until his death in 1868. After his death the tavern was sold to the Reading family. The building was subsequently bought and sold over the years, eventually seeing use as a dairy in the early 1900’s. The current owner Steve Wolf, purchased the building in 1977, and has spent the last quarter of a century turning it into the marvel that it is today. Today, the tavern shows the care and effort that Steve has put into the restoration. The tavern is a testament to Steve’s dedication.