Do You Remember...The Old Stone Tavern Inn Along Pearl Road

The old stone tavern Inn was built in 1817 by Conrad Countryman with family members. They had traveled by wagon to Parma Township in the spring of 1817. Mr. Countryman operated a blacksmith shop, sawmill and the old stone tavern inn. This old stone tavern inn was an overnight stage coach stop inn along the Wooster Pike beginning in 1820. The tavern was a regular stop where mail or packages were delivered and picked up before the local postmaster was appointed. Horse teams were exchanged at the old stone tavern used to pull stagecoaches. Wooden Wagons that hauled goods parked in the tavern’s wagon yard. No established banks existed. Money and valuables were hidden to not be stolen. The tavern was robbed of its hidden currency and valuables.

Quarried stone from a nearby quarry was used to build the two-story inn. This public house was a meeting place in Parma Township. The stone walls were reported to be three feet thick. Two fireplaces heated the building. The Countryman family moved further west to Michigan in 1823. Later owners included members of the Foster family. The inn was a station stop along the Underground Railroad in Ohio for escaping runaway slaves. It was one of three known stations in Parma Twp.

The Parma Post Centennial newspaper insert edition included the inn’s history in 1926. The old stone tavern Inn was mentioned along with other inns that were still standing in the Cleveland News 1938 Sunday Magazine. The old stone tavern later became a private residence at 6363 Pearl Road. The building was divided up into small apartment units which was torn down in 1959. A Sunoco gas station currently occupies the site.