Historians find evidence of famous visitors in a West Virginia tavern

ANSTED, W.Va. — Historians researching the history of a famous tavern in southern West Virginia have found evidence that explorer William Clark of the Lewis & Clark Expedition stayed there in the 1820s.

Although many famous travelers are known to have stayed at the Tyree Tavern or Halfway House, developers restoring the property as a museum have discovered a hidden history and are asking the public to help uncover more details.

Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, and Vice President John C. Breckinridge are known to have visited the tavern. Clark’s presence was unknown until a diary entry was recently discovered in the Lewis and Clark Trust archives.

Pamela Webster-Walsh, who bought the heirloom last year with her sister Laura Moore, said she expects to find many more documents as the search progresses.

“It is really exciting to find an actual document – in William Clark’s own handwriting! – that records his stay at the tavern in his travel journal from 1817 to 1820,” said Webster-Walsh.

“We still hope to discover that William and his first wife Julia stayed here in 1810 on their way west. If we dig deeper, we may find the tavern register documenting his stay and that of others who stopped or stayed at the Halfway House-Tyree Tavern in the 19th century.”

The hewn wood building was probably founded as a tavern in the early 19th century and is one of the oldest in the southern state.

In the 19th century, it was a stagecoach stop for travelers crossing the Appalachian Mountains, and during the Civil War it served as headquarters for the Northern and Southern armies.

William Clark and Meriwether Lewis led an expedition through the newly conquered West of the USA from 1804 to 1806. Afterwards, Clark was governor of the Missouri Territory. From 1822 until his death in 1838, he was superintendent of Indian affairs.

The sisters are descendants of William Tyree, who founded the tavern about halfway between Lewisburg and the Kanawha Salines in what is now Charleston. They purchased the property in 2022 and commissioned ZMM Architects & Engineers to restore it and transform it into a museum.

Webster-Walsh says she and Moore would welcome any information about the tavern’s history. Email correspondence should be directed to [email protected]. A Facebook page has also been set up at Tyree Tavern – Past & Present.

“In the short time we have been involved with this property, we have discovered many connections to our family history and have met some wonderful and helpful people in the past year since purchasing the tavern,” she said.

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