Tavern Talk
Taverns that served Conestoga wagoners were called "wagon stands." (Other types of taverns served stage coach passengers and drovers who herded livestock.) Wagon stands had names such as Cross Keys, The Wagon, The Lamp Post, and The Black Bear. Signs out front would use pictures of these names to help wagoners who couldn't read find the taverns. When wagoners arrived at the tavern they led their horses to large barns for the night. When traffic was heavy and the barns were full, many wagoners hitched their horses to the wagon-tongue in an open field near the tavern.
The wagoners carried their bedding with them. In good weather, they might sleep outdoors near their wagons. In poor weather, they would sleep on the bar room floor since wagon stands usually had no bedrooms.
Tavern customers enjoyed games, story-telling, practical jokes and singing songs like "Old Dan Tucker" and "Yankee Doodle." When a wagoner ordered beer, the innkeeper would keep a record on a slate by writing "P" for pint and "Q" for quart. When the guest treated his friends and his tally kept mounting, the innkeeper would remind him to "mind his P's and Q's." This expression is used today to remind us to mind our manners.
A wagoner's bill for a meal and an overnight stay would cost about $1.75. The innkeeper would be happy to barter for whatever the wagoner was carrying: a bundle of wool or flax or a slab of salt pork or bacon.
