A frame structure with a two-story porch fronting its long facade and sandstone chimneys at either gable end, this tavern is the oldest remaining structure in Gauley Bridge. Built close to the western end of the second (1828) bridge across the Gauley, it served travelers on the James River and Kanawha Turnpike. The tavern served as headquarters for Union forces during the Civil War, and both William McKinley and Rutherford B. Hayes were stationed here. In recent years, spindly cast iron supports have replaced first-floor porch piers, and a solid waist-high enclosure replaces the secondfloor porch railing.