The Talbott Tavern: The West's Oldest Stagecoach Stop
Near Bardstown, Kentucky
Built in seventeen seventy nine, a full year before Bardstown was formally established, the Old Talbott Tavern claims to be the oldest western stagecoach stop still in operation in the United States. The building sits at the western end of the stagecoach road that once ran all the way back to Philadelphia, the last reliable resting place for travelers entering the Kentucky frontier. The tavern reportedly has never permanently closed since its opening.
Its rooms sheltered a remarkable parade of historical figures. Daniel Boone passed through. George Rogers Clark, who secured the Kentucky frontier during the Revolution, used the tavern as a resource.
And in seventeen ninety seven, a young French nobleman named Louis-Philippe arrived and stayed for several days. Louis-Philippe was in American exile at the time, having fled the upheaval of the French Revolution. He was an art lover, and during his stay murals of birds, flowers, and trees were reportedly painted on the walls of his rooms by a member of his party.
Decades later, the same man became King Louis-Philippe the First of France. Before leaving Bardstown he donated several paintings to the nearby cathedral. The murals he inspired still exist in the tavern, though a fire in nineteen ninety eight badly damaged them.
The tavern itself is still serving food and drinks, which, given everything it has seen, seems entirely appropriate.
