Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1910-03-26
OLD TAVERN CHARGE
Cost Of Living at a Turnpike
Near New York In 1916.
LOW PRICES THE RULE THE

The Regular IartH ror Oinnor WW
10 Cents, and a Wedding 5reakfs
For Six, With Twelve Quarts of %
on the Side, Cost Just $1.69.
Guarded as carefully as any OF
guests jewels that lie beside II In
big safe of great and Clifford "
Broadway hotel In New York city al
treasured by the proprietor more th
its weight In gold is an old cashboON
Abe entries run from March to
ccmber, 1916. They record In quail
descriptive phrases the comings al
goings of the travellers who stopped
wayside inn on a turnpike road Id
than 100 miles from New York. IN
tavern was kept by the Broadway n
tel proprietor's grandfather. The buI
ing of the railroad, the passing of
stagecoach and the changes of md
than half century have obliterat
this once famous old inn at South ID
ham, and now all that remains of II
this ancient book, which served .
only as record OF cash received,
took the place of the modern hOtf
register.
The prices charged by this innked
err of long ago are as far remuN
from those exacted today as this d
cient hostelry Is from the gorgeON
summer hotels of the countryslN
where 1t once stood. The regular prN
for dinner was 10 cents, but cvd{
this appears to have been "cut' to N
uuent travellers. For instance, there
an entry of Candy peddler from 4
bany, two meals and lodging,
cents" Almost every entry Is a bnt
description of the individual travel
and what he got-for example, "Frt
kle faced, eagle nosed boy, hay, SUI
per, lodging and grease, 81 cent?
| This boy was probably driving hort
and wagon, which would account
the hay and grease. Another man wi
was described as n fellow with Tin
colt got hay, lodging and breakfaS
| for "A cents.
Every few days there came alonr
according to this ancient register,
| Connecticut man." He nvariabf
spent Just @ cents for food, and th4
was for pie. On two occasions thet
is an additional charge for ''greasll
wagon, @ cents" There were no thN
atrical companies touring this twx
pike road half century ago, but
phrenologist appears and vanishes
being recorded that for "hay, quar-
of oats, lodging and breakfast"
gave up So cents. Once in awhileb
real spendthrift would come alOH
like the gent with three ladies al
two children" They had six dinnea
For these, the hay for the horses,
meals for the dog" and the "segai1
for the man SIPS was charged. ThaI
was wedding breakfast at ii
quaint tavern too. 1t Is set down 4
wedding, Radclilf's sister, 6 dinnerI
IL quarts of oats, $1.69"
People went west" by wagon \
tho, days from the thickly settld
east to seek their fortunes. Some d,
not find what they expected and can
back again. One such group, an "erI
igrant family returning east-seven
them"-spent 81 at the inn. "ThrI
cents worth of candy" is frequel
entry. Probably the candy peddH
from Albany" paid for his food al
lodging in sweets. There are but VI
entries of anything stronger than leHI
onade, and those are for beer-fC'
quarts for 8 cents. Oysters va
cheap, too, for six plates of them 4
creased the contents of the tave'
keepers money box by just 10 cents
Among the journeyers along ~
turnpike road whose passage is reco1
ed in this age yellowed volume is ~
Particular" Doubtless he was son
cranky old codger who kicked abC1
everything and whose goings the in1
keeper sped as much as possible. Thd
there was the "Whistling Man." y
"Stiff Arm Man." the ''Dispeptic Mai
Che had four quarts Of teal and y
"Hen Man." who ate piece of n
and traded ROSTERS with the hot
keeper. Other travellers along q
highway are thus described: "AbOl
ton Man." Mean Fellow" "Gel
With Noble Horse" Lady With Crl
ing Baby" Flank Days Likeness
and "Cravat Peddler" fooD.
Occasionally an old acquaintanE
would pass by or some dignitary, Il
it is set down that friend fro
lexington had hay and lodging %
day at the inn. Who knows but
might have been a son of one of u
''embattled farmers" who kept u
bridge that April morning Of the rid
of Paul Revere? The Grand Jur'
and His Wife tarried for meal
the inn the same day as did the "DoH
inie's Wife and Child" On Nov. 8,
the careful chronicle says, the pr
prietor went to York" where he r
manned six days. He must have ha
roaring, roistering time Of it VIII
in the metropolis. for the next emit
In his handwriting is somewhat shas
and says, "Sundries while at York,
cents."-New York Press.
Washineton's Farewell.