Old South Mountain Inn

Poised atop scenic, historic Turnerís Gap, the Old South Mountain Inn offers its visitors hospitality, fine eating, and convenience to the tourist sites of Antietam Battlefield, Washington Monument State Park, Harpers Ferry and Gambrill State Park. Founded as early as 1732, the inn has seen history. In 1755 it is probable that General Edward Braddock, accompanied by the young Lt. George Washington, marched his army past on the way to his fatal encounter with the French and Indians near Fort Duquesne. By the late 1700ís pioneers had begun to roll steadily through Turnerís Gap on the National Trail to settle the land to the west. The South Mountain Inn uniquely served as a wagon stand as well as a stagecoach stop for the heavy traffic passing on the National Road after it was surfaced in the 1820ís. In the years that followed, the inn was visited by many Washington leaders, including Daniel Webster and Henry Clay, and several Presidents. For Clay and Webster particularly, it was a favorite resting spot. Clay was often called the father of the National Road; the road itself was sometimes termed the Henry Clay Road.