In 1801, George Frankenberger applied for a tavern license, citing a need for lodging on a "deserted" section of the Great Road between Harrisburg and Carlisle. The simple log structure served drovers moving livestock, offering for modest fees floor space for a bedroll, a simple hot meal, and pasture and feed for animals. It was also the Frankenberger family home and sold alcoholic beverages for consumption in the public room or for take-out, at a time when alcohol in early America was considered necessary for good health. The tavern helped attract farmers and villagers to the area, and in 1828 the local village was incorporated as the Borough of Mechanicsburg. George Frankenberger sold the tavern around 1810. Over the years it became a clapboard-covered home with a third story and rear additions, and when it was being demolished to build Frankeberger Place, the old log structure was uncovered. The owners donated it to the Mechanicsburg Museum Association, which moved, restored, and furnished it.