#4826 - Cole's Tavern, Pine Township, PA - 10/4/2022

Cole's Tavern, Pine Township (Wexford), PA

Cole's Tavern is well over a century old and the only casual neighborhood bar I can recall preserving the pre-prohibition standard of having no barstools at the bar. Maybe you don't have a spittoon or mustache rag at the ready, but if you want to hang at the bar you can do so standing like the old saloon days. The menu is fairly old school bar food - sandwiches, burgers, wings and various fried foods. The bar has been in the same family since 1902 and contains several great old photos and artifacts to illustrate some of that long history. It's a great stop for anyone who loves historical bars or just charming small town businesses.

Cole's Tavern, Pine Township (Wexford), PA

The following is a historical article that was posted as a screencap on the tavern's Facebook page. I am not sure of the author (possibly a Mark Biswick?), but it seems pretty well established.

"In 1901, John Benjamin (J.B.) Cole purchased Cole's Hotel and he and his wife, Matilda, moved in on Feb. 2, 1902, their wedding day. Formerly known as the Wexford Hotel, which was built in the 1870s and owned by Ignatius Booker, it served as lodging for those hauling produce and other items, with the livery bar housing horses and wagons. It continued to operate in that capacity after J.B. purchased it. Cole's was a place for travelers to get dinner, have a few drinks in the tavern, rent a room for the night, enjoy breakfast and then continue the journey.

The bar was originally where the Cole's Tavern kitchen is now located. The addition, which is now the current bar, was added in the late 1930s. J.B. and Matilda had six children: Edward, Charles, James, Herman, Elizabeth and Joseph. All of them worked at the tavern, the farm, tending livestock or butchering for most their lives. Cole's has been run in seamless transition for three generations, currently owned by J.B. and Matilda's grandchildren, Dolores Voll and Thomas Cole.

In 1947, Elizabeth woke up in the middle of the night to the smell of smoke. As it turned out, a fire had engulfed the top of the building. Fortunately, the Wexford Volunteer Fire Station, which J.B. helped start as one of its founding members, was right next door and the fire was quickly put out, although the roof and top floors were severely damaged. Family and friends came together to rebuild the roof, giving Cole's its unique roofline. While it was never proven, there was a strike with union beer workers at that time and J.B. started buying beer from a different brewery, which many believe caused the building to be firebombed.

One of the unique aspects of Cole's Tavern is the absence of barstools. Over the years, some frequenters of the establishment mentioned to the proprietors that stools should be brought in like some newer taverns. As the story goes, Joseph was there one night when a patron was inquiring about it. Joe's response was that when you can no longer stand, you've probably had enough to drink.

To sell liquor, establishments have long needed a license. Cole's Tavern had a liquor license that was specific for hotels. However, as the years rolled on and eventually, the hotel no longer rented rooms, officials would stop by from time to time to conduct surprise inspections. This meant the Cole family had to be sure they could show a minimum of five rooms ready for rent or face fines and possible suspension of the liquor license. Sometimes this meant stalling the inspectors while family members rushed upstairs to make sure five rooms were cleaned and deemed rentable. Finally, only a few decades ago, Dolores officially had the license changed so that the bar no longer needed to have rooms available.

Located out in front of the bar is one of the most iconic features of Cole's, the original water pump and horse trough. Patrons would stop by to water and tether their horses when traveling along the Perrysville-Zelienople Plank Road, often stopping inside for a few drinks. While the pump is no longer operational, it harkens back to the earliest days of the establishment and serves as a reminder of the lifestyle of the region from more than a century ago."

161 Church Rd, Wexford, PA 15090 - (724) 935-2000
Est. 1902 - Building constructed: 1876?
Previous bars in this location: Hotel Wexford 
Web site: facebook 
Reviews: pittsburghmagazine - yelp - tripadvisor