#6519 - Hopwood House, South Union Township, PA - 4/11/2026

Hopwood House, Hopwood, PA

The Hopwood House in Hopwood, PA is another great old stone structure that served as a tavern during the heyday of the National Road. Today it again serves the community as a fine dining restaurant and bar.

Also known as the Hopwood-Miller Tavern for two of its early owners, the tavern was constructed circa 1816 by Moses Hopwood, but was serving as a tavern by the 1930s. (NRHB)  Sitting on the famed National Road, and poised to provide a fresh start over the mountains in the morning, Hopwood thrived. 'Ellis's history remarked that "acres of covered wagons could be seen every night in Monroe (Hopwood)." In addition, thousands of animals were quartered in this town overnight. At one time there were seven licensed hotels in town. Historian Robert Bruce remarked in 1916 that a half dozen stone houses could be still seen in Hopwood, all once used as taverns.' (ibid) 

Hopwood House, Hopwood, PA

The same nomination form describes the physical structure: "The tavern is a five-bay, single pile, tow-and-a-half story stone building built c.1816 with a center hall floor plan.... The front elevation of this tavern displays coursed ashlar stonework, but the ends are random rubblestone.... The west parlor has been converted into a barroom, but the east parlor remains largely intact."

The tavern is said to have hosted James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Gen. William Henry Harrison, James Polk, James Buchanan, and Abraham Lincoln; but as the NRHB form notes, "Unfortunately, no hotel registers survive to document this."

As the traffic on the National Road began to wane in the 1850s, the building reverted to a private residence, hosting families for over a century before hosting a series of upscale restaurants. Private owners notably included Elsie Blair in the 1960s, who furnished it with "one of the most notable collections of early Americana in the Tri-State area" (Pittsburgh Post-Gazeette 7/28/1964). The string of restaurants appears to start in 1994 when Gerard and Maryanne Meyer purchased the building and established Chez Gerard's, which served French cuisine for over a decade. After this it had brief stints as Dr. McCarthy's Kitchen and then the Pot Still Pub in 2017. 

Empty again the building was purchased in March 2022 by Dr. Justine Blout and her friend, Tange McDowell. (daily courier). For the two years following the building would serve as an event space, hosting wedding receptions, birthday dinners, and holiday events. By January 2024 the restaurant had soft opened, finally holding their Official Grand Opening May 16, 2024. Along the way they picked up Chef RJ Favro, who grew up just a few miles away but had trained at PCI and the Art Institute of Palermo, and honed his craft at Nemacolin and Stefano Morgantown.

The results seemed outstanding in my first visit here. I went with two of the specials, starting with a burrata and fig jam appetizer and following with their hanger steak entree, both of which were splendid.

I always feel a debt of gratitude for people who keep these great old historic buildings alive and open to the public, especially in a small town. But it's such a nice bonus when I can anticipate a cocktail and dinner that I enjoy this much.

 

1186 National Pike, Hopwood, PA 15445

Est. May 16, 2024 Official Grand Opening, soft open by Jan 2024, event space before that

Building constructed: 1816
Previous bars in this location: The Pot Still Pub, Dr. McCarthy's Kitchen, Chez Gerard 
Web site:  hopwood-house.com - facebook - instagram 
Articles: National Register of Historic Places - herald-standard - yelp - tripadvisor - menufyy - dailycourier