Taneytown History

David Bule

(7/2022) Many Taneytown residents have passed the large yellow house on the corner of Baltimore Street and Harney Rd, but how many know the home's history, which dates to 1796?

Initially, a 14-room brick house built by Ruliff and Abigail Crapster at the end of the century. Their home stood on the western edge of Taneytown and was named "Locust Grove." An early toll road connecting Westminster and Emmitsburg ran past the front door; Harney Road, the most direct route to Gettysburg, passed by the side door. Taneytown was a thriving town during this period - a natural stopping place for travelers traveling between York, Pennsylvania, and Frederick, Maryland, or heading west.

William Crapster, the son of Ruliff's, who was willed the home with four enslaved individuals referred to as only Bill, Abraham, Milli, and Lydia. William operated Locust Grove as a tavern, and reports suggest his father did as well. However, as its location made it an ideal inn, it was not a tavern by today's standards.

There seems to be no other record for Locust Grove until 1838. A deed on file at the courthouse in Westminster shows that Jacob Corell sold Locust Grove to Alexander McAllister for sixteen hundred dollars. Mr. McAllister later sold Locust Grove to Samuel Swope in 1884.

At the time of the purchase, Dr. Samuel Swope had become Taneytown's most influential and wealthiest citizen of the nineteenth century. Samuel and his brother, John, graduated from the University School of Medicine in 1830. After graduating, Samuel returned to Taneytown and, in 1884, purchased Locust Grove. Dr. Swope would continue his practice and reside at Locust Grove for fifty years. The home developed a reputation as a place where Maryland-style hospitality was provided.

The next transfer occurred, when Edward Reindollar obtained the property from Dr. Swope in March of 1900. Reindollar never lived there but leased it to tenants who farmed the adjoining land. A section of the home was also used as a harness shop, where in the Spring and Fall, they greased the harnesses to keep them in good repair.

Around the turn of the century, George and Irene Sauble purchased the home. However, it was not until 1914 that they moved into what they often called the "Big" house. The move, which evolved into a business in 1916, was first an Inn with boarders and then and later, in 1918, a respected restaurant. "I had nothing" is how George Sauble put it in a 1943 interview with the Baltimore Sun after announcing the closure of the Inn. Starting the business in the prime of their life, George and Irene believed that, with the revenue of the Inn, their two-hundred-acre farm, boarders in the home, and Georg's milk route, they thought they could "get along." Soon, meeting the needs of six to eight boarders, the Saubles were soaring past their best expectations.

As the business grew, so did the Inn's reputation for quality meals attracting patrons from all over the United States. In an interview with the Taneytown History Museum, George and Irene's granddaughter remembers the family-style meal they served. The meals often featured fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, lima beans, peas, sliced tomatoes, candied sweet potatoes, coleslaw, candied apples, cottage cheese and apple butter, fruit salad, chicken salad, sauerkraut, three kinds of cupcakes, three kinds of ice cream, and beverages. The family grew or made almost everything. Peach ice cream was a favorite in the summer, and fresh asparagus was added in the spring.

In addition to being raised on Sauble's farm, the chickens served at their restaurant were also supplied by local farmers. As the demand for Plymouth Rock and Rhode Island Red chickens increased, Sauble began purchasing them from local farmers. However, at times, the need for chickens would become so great it would become necessary to reach out to surrounding counties to supplement what could not be purchased locally. Sauble spent approximately twelve thousand dollars a year on chickens, which is about two hundred thousand dollars today.

An overnight stay at the Inn plus three meals cost $3.50. Servers found the work demanding and receiving a $1.00 tip was rare in those days. They risked the wrath of local ministers who were not very pleased that their young parishioners broke the Sabbath. However, this was a fantastic way to earn extra money during the Depression.

George and Irene ran the Inn and farm from 1918 until 1941 before handing the operation over to their daughter. George remained active in preparation for the Sunday dinner, as did every family member, rising at 3 am and ending around 10 pm. Monday morning began the preparation for the following Sunday dinner.

Sunday dinners cost seventy-five cents when the restaurant business began in 1918, but the price slowly rose to $2.75, and Sauble was afraid they might need to charge more in 1943 due to the rationing associated with the war. Therefore, they closed the Inn's doors to avoid that prospect because they felt they were getting too old for such strenuous work.

The story Sauble's Inn and many other buildings in Taneytown are in danger of being lost forever. For many years, citizens of Taneytown were proud of the architecture and its significance in our country's founding and evolution. Few places in our country can boast the number of Medal of Honor recipients and the author of our national anthem. In addition, there is the prolific architecture of J.A. Dempwolf. Unless we take proactive measures to preserve before all is lost, we are in danger of losing our history. Keeping the town's rich history alive is up to all of us.

David Buie is a Taneytown Resident who has a passion for
Carroll County and its place in history.

Read other history articles by David Buie

Read other articles on Taneytown history