The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-09-12
OLD TAVERN CHARGES
Cost of Living at a Turnpike Inn
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.

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 great and glittering
Broadway hotel in New York city and
treasured by the proprietor more than
its weight in gold is an old cashbook.
The entries run from March to De
cember, 1916. They record in quaint,
descriptive phrases the comings and
goings of the travellers who stopped at
a wayside inn on turnpike road less
than 100 miles from New York. This
tavern was kept by The Broadway ho-
tel proprietor's grandfather The build
ing of the railroad, the passing of the
stagecoach and the changes Of more
than half century have obllterated
this once famous old inn at South Dur
ham, and now all that remains Of 1t Is
this ancient book, which served not
only as a record of cash received, but
took the place of the modern hotel
register.
The prices charged by this innkeep-
or of long ago are as far removed
from those exacted today as this an
cient hostelry is from the gorgeous
summer hotels of the COUNTRYSIDE
where It once stood The regular price
for a dinner was 10 cents, but even
this appears to have been cut to fire.
quent travellers. For instance, there is
an entry Of Candy peddler from Al
bany, two meals and lodging, 81
cents" Almost every entry Is brief
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. y
This boy was probably driving a horse
and wagon, which would account for
the hay and grease. Another man who
was described as a If, Vow 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 cents for food, and that
was for pie. On two occasions there
is an additional charge for "greasing
wagon. @ cents There were no the
1 atrical companies touring this turn
pike road half century ago, but a
phrenologist appears and vanlshes. II
being recorded that for "hay, quarts
of oats, lodging and breakfast he
gave up SO cents. Once In awhile
real spendthrift would come along
like the gent with three ladies and
two children" They had six dinners
For these, the hay for the horses, the
meals for the dog" and the "segar'
for the man S1.2S was charged. There
was a wedding breakfast at this
quaint tavern too. 1t is set down as
wedding Radclifrs sister. @ dinners
- quarts of oats, S1.69."
People went west" by wagon II
those days from the thlckly settlet
east to seek their fortunes. Some die
not find what they expected and came
back again. One such group, an ''em
Igrant family returning east-seyen O
them"-spent 81 at the inn. "Thre'
cents worth Of candy" Is a frequen
entry. Probably the "candy peddle
from Albany paid for his food ant
lodging In sweets. There are but tive
entries Of anything stronger than lem
onade. and those are for beer-fou
quarts for o cents. oysters weru
cheap. too. for six plates OF them in
creased the contents Of the taverl
keepers money box by just 10 cents.
Among the journeyers along thl
turnpike road whose passage Is record
ell In this age yellowed volume Is "ol'
Particular" Doubtless he was som
cranky old codger who kicked abou
everything and whose golngs the inn
keeper sped as much as possible. The
there was the "Whistllng Man" tn
"Stiff Arm Man." the "Dlspeptic Man
he had four quarts OF teal and th
Hen Man. who ate a piece OF pi
and traded ROSTERS with the hote
keeper. Other travellers along tn
highway are thus described: "Aboll
ton Man." "Mean Fellow" Gen
With Noble Horse" Lady With Cry
ing Baby" Hank Days Likeness
and "Cravat Peudler' (fooD.
Occasionally an old Acquaintance
would pass by or some dlgnitary. 10
1t is set down that a friend fror
Lexington" had hay and lodging on
day at the Inn. Who knows but b
might have been son OF one Of IN
"embattled farmers" who kept th
bridge that April morning Of the rid
OF Paul Revere? The Grand Juro
and His Wife" tarrIed for meal a
the inn the same day as did the "Dom
lnie's Wife and Child" On Nov. 3, s
the careful chronicle says. the pre-
prletor went to York." where he n
malned six days. lie must have ha
q roaring, FOSTERING time OF II Will
In the metropolis, for the next entr
IA his handwriting "a somewhat shalt