The tavern built by James Rose in 1835 originally stood along the old Maumee Pike, Route 20, west of Fremont. The mud-rutted road along the edge of the Great Black Swamp was in such poor condition that travelers could cover little more than a mile in a day. About 30 taverns stood between Fremont and Perrysburg, serving as havens for bone-weary travelers on foot, on horseback, or in horse-drawn wagons.