The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1886-10-18
vAveRMs SIXTY YEARS AGO
Their Accomm citations were Ordis
nary, but the 0uests Were Wei.
como t. French Brandy.

TAo4r AccOnmodotf0no were Or0ls
nary, but the Guests Were Wei.
como - French Brandy.
In the course of Soma interesting
"reminiscences of the hotels of the olden
time. q correspondent Of The Hump.
shire County (Mass.) Journal shows
now much more numerous were the
iaverns Of sixty years ago than now.
In 1928 there were sixteen licensed in
Northampton, which then contained
not over $500 inhabitants. Those out
of the center we're only stopping places
for travellers who wished for "toddy"
or ''horse- batting" and generally
served only as a makeshift for eekins
out the maintenance Of the farms at
tached to them. The central taverns
were.the stopping-places Of the through
stage travellers going east and west
and north and south. They were also
the resort of traders and others coming
from the neighboring towns to pur-
chase supplies. and were the good ma
tured prey of host of "spongers"
among them, who used all the accom-.
modations Of the inn. and brought
their own food and their horses prov.
cnder with them, never spending .
penny for the privilege.
The accommodations of these hotels
were of the most ordinary character,
excepting only the beds and the table.
The furniture was of the plainest kind,
that of the sleeping-roOm consisting
only of the bed. two or three chairs.
mirror, and in spec al cases only, Of
the now usual washing facilities. The
great majority of male guests went to
the Mushroom in the morning for neces-
sary ablution. and at some places wiped
their faces upon the towels that added,
rather than removed, dirt. When
Oliver Warner took charge of the old
Pomery tavern NOW the site of the
present Mansion house), there was not
a carpet in the house. not caster on
the table, not napkin for a guest, no
ice-water, not b II in chamber, nor.
with rare exception, a Fireplace in q
sleeping apartment there were no
stoves in that day for heating sleeping
apartments. But. with all these limit
c'l accommodations, the taverns in the
centor were nightly crowded. with
guests in the business season. The
summer months brought crowds Of Wis
TORS from the far south. who sought
tIc cool shades of Northampton for
seasons retreat from the burning sun
OF their homes. They spent money,
the accumulation of the slaves unpaid
toll. in the most lavish manner. The
,laily lines of coaches east and west,
north and south poured their daily
freight OF passengers for few hours of
sleep into these already crowded re-
ceptacles, and it still remains to me a
mystery how, in the name Of comfort,
convenience. and all that Is now ex-
pected from a modern hotel. the guests
could be satisfied with the accommo-
dat;ons furnished at that time.
But it must be recollected the
wants of the public were not
then so numerous or unreasonable as
now, while the substantial elements of
food, cooked in good and appetizing
form, were never wanting. Another
ard now unknown element of the table
was then as common as water = two,
three. or more decanters of French
brandy. to which the guests were wei
come. and to which large portion of
the diners paid due devotion. The
customary price for transient guests
was $3.50 per day, or 81 per week.
though regular boarders paid only
80 SO or SO per week. Provisions of
all binds were exceedingly cheap, COM
pared with present rates, beef to 8.
lamb Sto 10. mutton TO s, pork 8 to
8, butter ~ to IA. eggs 8 70 10 cents,
hay SS to $40, oats 20 to 25. and so on.
The bars at that time were furnished
with the best imported liquors and
wines. The adulleration of drinking
fluids so common nowadays was then
unknown. and drinkers had one excuse
for tippling: the wine was pure. A
Fourth of July celebration at the old
Coffee House. was lavishly furnished |
with old Madeira and port that had |
been quietly refined for ten years or
more. Toast-drinking, as may be seen
BY reference to the journals of sixty
years ago, was an indispensable requis-
tie for all public feasts. The old War
ner coffee-house was the customary re-
sort for the balls for the Fourth of Ju-
ly and Thanksgiving evenings, and
were attended by all the local dignita-
ries and prominent men. On Saturday |
nights at shutdown the bars were rigidly |
closed. not again to be opened until the
Monday. Guests were fur
nished with seats in the church if they
desired them, and the hotel had on the