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Pennsylvania House

Springfield, United States of America

Pennsylvania House

The Pennsylvania House is a historic inn and tavern in western Springfield, Ohio, United States. Built circa 1839, this three-story brick Federal structure lies along the original National Road and near the old road that connects Springfield with Dayton, Ohio. In the early years of the nineteenth ce

ntury, the National and Dayton-Springfield Roads were major transportation arteries for those bound for the West and for Cincinnati respectively. Inns such as the Pennsylvania House were instrumental in facilitating travel for the many would-be settlers and merchants headed for the western frontier and for all sorts of travellers proceeding southwest. Before the coming of the railroads, the Pennsylvania House provided beds and food for commoners and famous individuals alike. According to local lore, among the inn's guests were such individuals as Henry Clay, Charles Dickens, Andrew Jackson, and James K. Polk. The inn's owners typically lived on the premises; among the various owners were the family of Isaac Kaufmann Funk, founder of Funk and Wagnalls. After more than twenty years of prosperity, the inn's traffic shrank after railroads reached Springfield in 1846. By the end of the...

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