The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1910-03-02
OLD TAVERN CHARGES
Cost of Living at a Turnpike I'm
Near New York In 1916.
LOW PRICES THE RULE THEN
The Regular Tariff For Dinner Was
10 Cents, and a Wedding Breakfast
For Six, With Twelve Quarts of Oats
on the Side, Cost Just $1.69.

Guarded as carefully as any Of the
guests jewels that lie beside it in. the
big safe of a great and gliitering
Broadway hotel In New York city and
treasured by the proprietor more than
its weight In gold Is an old eashbook.
ihe entries run from March to De
ccmbcr, 1916. They record in quaint,
descriptive phrases the comings and
goings of the travellers who stopped AT
a wayside inn on a turnpike road less
than 100 miles from New York. This
tavern was kept by the Broadway no
tel proprictor's grandfather. The build
ing OF the railroad, the passing OF the
stagecoach and the changes of more
than half century have obliterated
this once famous old inn at South Dur
ham, and now all that remains of il Is
this ancient book, which served not
only as record of cash received, but
took the place of the modern hotel
register
The prices charged by this inhkeep
er OF long ago are rs far removed
from those exacted today rs this an
Client hosiery is from the gorgeous
summer hotels of the countryside
where 1t once stood. The regular price
for dinner was 10 cents, but even
this appears to have been cut" 10 fire.
quent travellers For instance, there Is
an entry Of Candy pedder from Al
bany, two meals and lodging. 81
4 ttst L., inf
description of the individual Traveller
and what he got--for example. Free
kle faced, eagle nosed boy, hay, sup
per, lodging and grease, 81 cents. ;"
This boy was probably driving horse
and wagon, which would account for
the hay and grease. Another man who
was described as a fellow with tired
colt got hay, lodging and breakfast
for A cents.
Every few days there came along.
according to this ancient register, a
CONNECTICUT man" He invariably
spent just q cents for food, and that
was for pie On two occasions there
is an additional charge for 'greasing
wagon, q cents" There were no the
atrical companies touring this turn
pike road half century ago, but Il
phrenologlst appears and yanishes, 1t
being recorded that for hay, 6 quarts
OF oats. lodging and breakfast" he
gave up SO cents. Once in awhile Il
real spendthrift would come along,
like the gent with three ladies' and
two children They he'd six dinners.
For these the hay for the horses, the
meals for the dog" and the "scgar"
for the man $1.2S was charged. There
was wedding breakfast at this
quaint tavern too. 1t is set down as
wedding, Radclffs sister, q dinners.
10 quarts of oats, $l69."
People went west by wagon In
those days from the thickly settled
east to seek their fortunes Some did
not find what they expected and came
back again. One such group, an ''em
igrant family returning east-seven of
them spent So at the inn. Three
cents worth of candy Is Il frequent
entry. Probably the candy peddler
from Albany paid for his food and
lodging In sweets There are but two
entries of anything stronger than lem
onade. and those are for beer-four
quarts for . cents. oysters were
cheap. too, for six plates of them in
creased the contents of the tavern
keepers money box by just Il cents.
Among the journcycrs along this
turnpike road whose passage is record
cd in this age ycllowed volume Is "old
Particular. Doubtless he was some
cranky old codgcr who kicked about
everything aud whose golugs the inn
keeper sped us much as possible. Then
there was the "Whistling Man" the
"Stiff Arm Man." the "Dispeptic Man"
Che had four quarts OF tea) aud the
Hen Man." who ate piece of pie
and traded ROSTERS with the hotel
keeper Other travellers along the
highway are thus described; "Aboli-
ton Man." Mean Fellow" Gent
With Noble Horse" Lady With Cry
ing Baby" Hank Days Likeness"
and "Cmvat Pcddier" Goob
Occasionally IN old acquaintance
would pass by or some digntary. for
1t is set down that friend from
Lexington" had hay and lodging one
day at the Inn. Who knows but he
might have been Il sou OF one OF the
"embattlcd farmers" who kept the
bridge that April morning IL the ride
Of Paul Revere? The Grand Juror
and His Wife" tarried for n meal Mt
the inn the same day rs did the Dom
inies Wife and Child" On Nov ). SO
the careful chronicle says the pro-
prietor went to York" where he re-
manned six days, He must have had
roaring. roistcring time of II while
In the metropolis. for the next entry
IN his handwriting Is somewhat shaky
and says. "Sundries while at York, 30