The Sherman Tavern

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.  

From Kentucky Progress Magazine, 1932.