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When the stagecoaches rumbled over the Kentucky hills, generations ago,
this house served as a roadside tavern at Sherman, Grant County, Kentucky,
for passengers who were weary, and perhaps a little thirsty after the long
ride over the bumpy and twisty trail, which those forerunners of the
automobile, traveled. The rain, snow, and wind, of the many years, have
not dealt kindly with the rambling structure, but the older residents of
Sherman in 1932 said that they could remember when it was the most popular
tavern between Lexington and Cincinnati. The fact that bourbon whiskey
was free to the travelers staying at the tavern, may have had something to
do with this popularity. Incidentally, such acts of generosity also
impart a better understanding of that favored expression of our
grandfathers, “Those were the good old days.” It is related that the
Sherman Tavern was one of the first buildings in this section of the
country to have its walls plastered, a process which was quite a luxury in
the early days. A piano, another novelty and very expensive at the time,
was a part of the tavern’s furnishings. And to the melodies which were
coaxed out of it, the bearded gallants and the dainty belles of the day
danced the favored waltzes, quadrilles, and polkas. In the rear of the
tavern there was a large stable where fresh teams of horses for the
coaches were kept. Horses were changed every ten miles. A small bar for
the drivers and guards of the coach and the men who drove cattle between
Cincinnati and Lexington, also was conducted in the rear of the tavern.
In 1932 the building was owned by W. C. Cason, of Cincinnati.
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