When the National Road came through here in 1815, Grantsville's settlement stood a half mile away along the old Braddock Road. A new center developed just west of the Casselman Bridge, which had been completed a few years earlier, and about a dozen buildings were moved from Old Grantsville to benefit from the new road and its prosperity. Entrepreneurs built several hotels for travelers, including the National Hotel in 1837 at the center of town and the Casselman Drovers Inn in 1842. Between 1843 and 1852, as many as 14 stagecoaches a day passed through in both directions. By 1892, nearby stopping places still served large numbers of horse teams, Kentucky mules, hogs, and cattle. Drovers taking sheep, cattle, geese, and turkeys to eastern city markets welcomed the inn's pens, corrals, hot food, and beds after long days on the National Road. The inn, open since 1824, continued to receive travelers, and the National Hotel, built by Henry Fuller and considered the finest in Grantsville, remained a popular stop until its survival ended in 1984. Grantsville also benefited from the work of Leo Beachy, a gifted lifelong resident whose photographs recorded the town in the early twentieth century.

Photo: J. J. Prats

Grantsville, Maryland · USA