Hook's Tavern
Trademark
UnclaimedHook's Tavern was a historic late-eighteenth-century tavern and hotel along the Northwestern Turnpike near Capon Bridge, West Virginia.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Hook's Tavern, also known as Hook Tavern, was a historic roadside tavern in Hampshire County, West Virginia. The building stood in the Mill Branch valley near the eastern base of Bear Garden Mountain, along the Northwestern Turnpike, now U.S. Route 50, east of Capon Bridge. It functioned as a stopping place for travelers on an important regional road and later operated under formal hotel licenses. The structure was built sometime between 1790 and 1809 on land associated with Peter Mauzy, an early settler of Hampshire County. The building developed in multiple phases and eventually formed an ell-shaped, two-story clapboard structure. Its two wings followed the alignments of U.S. Route 50 and Smokey Hollow Road. A two-story porch faced the turnpike, while the oldest section included a large fireplace and a swinging crane used for cooking. The building contained approximately 4,000 square feet, ten rooms, and two bathrooms, with floors at several different levels reflecting its incremental construction. The Hook family acquired the property in 1840 and retained ownership, together with descendants, for nearly a century and a half. Samuel Hook and John B. Sherrard secured a hotel keeper's license on May 26, 1848, establishing the tavern as a formally licensed hotel and public house. Samuel Hook obtained another hotel license in 1862. During the American Civil War, the building was commandeered by Confederate personnel for use by approximately 80 sick soldiers during severe weather, according to a contemporary military statement. The tavern also preserved evidence of its nineteenth-century travelers and occupants. Renovations in 1956 uncovered names, dates, and informal remarks written on a plaster wall, including an inscription attributed to William C. Black dated May 7, 1845, as well as other markings from the 1850s. These traces contributed to the building's historical interest as a surviving roadside structure. Ownership left the Hook family in 1987, when Atlanta real-estate developer Edward Noble purchased the property. By 2009, the tavern and approximately three adjoining acres were offered for sale. The property later became a junk store operated by Judson Eversole's Eversole Enterprises. Hook's Tavern was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 29, 2011, recognizing its architectural and historical importance. The building was destroyed by fire during the early morning of October 14, 2022. The fire was described in available references as alleged arson; the supplied historical material does not establish a definitive perpetrator or final legal outcome. Because the historic structure burned, Hook's Tavern is now a defunct historic-site and hospitality name rather than an operating tavern. Its significance rests on its connection to turnpike travel, nineteenth-century hotelkeeping, Civil War-era use, vernacular architecture, and the preservation record of Hampshire County.
History
Hook's Tavern was a roadside hospitality property in the Mill Branch valley of Hampshire County, West Virginia. It was positioned near the eastern foot of Bear Garden Mountain on the Northwestern Turnpike, the historic route now identified as U.S. Route 50, east of Capon Bridge. The road connected communities and supported commercial and passenger movement through the region, making taverns and hotels important places for food, rest, lodging, and the exchange of local information. The building was erected between approximately 1790 and 1809 on property associated with Peter Mauzy, an early Hampshire County settler. Its final form reflected additions made over time rather than a single unified construction campaign. The resulting building was an ell-shaped, two-story clapboard structure with one wing parallel to the turnpike and another facing Smokey Hollow Road. A two-story porch addressed the main road. The oldest portion contained a large fireplace with a crane for suspending cooking pots, an architectural feature consistent with its early use as a public house and travelers' stop. The building measured about 4,000 square feet and contained ten rooms and two bathrooms. The Hook family purchased the property in 1840 and maintained control of the tavern and surrounding land, through descendants, until 1987. Under the family's operation, the business became a formally licensed hotel. Samuel Hook and John B. Sherrard received a hotel keeper's license on May 26, 1848. Samuel Hook was recorded as paying $10 for another hotel keeper's license on June 1, 1862. These records indicate that the property served more than an informal drinking function and operated as a recognized lodging and hospitality establishment. The tavern's location exposed it to the disruptions of the American Civil War. On February 3, 1862, Confederate army officer J. A. Hunter reported that severe weather required his forces to commandeer Samuel Hook's tavern and its wood supply for the comfort of 80 sick men under his charge. This episode links the property to the military movement and logistical pressures that affected Hampshire County during the war. Later alterations revealed direct evidence of the building's users. During renovations in July 1956, workers found names and comments written on plaster, including the name of William C. Black with the date May 7, 1845. Other inscriptions included remarks associated with John New and McCauley, one dated May 7, 1853. Such markings provided a rare record of people who passed through or occupied the nineteenth-century building. The Hook family era ended in 1987, when Atlanta real-estate developer Edward Noble acquired the property. In 2009, the tavern and three adjacent acres were placed on the market. The site subsequently became a junk store owned by Judson Eversole and operated through Eversole Enterprises. Despite these later changes in use, the building retained enough historical and architectural significance to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 29, 2011. Hook's Tavern burned in the early morning of October 14, 2022. The fire has been described as alleged arson in the available reference material, but the supplied sources do not provide a confirmed cause determination, suspect, prosecution, or resolution. The destruction ended the physical operation of the property and left the tavern as a defunct historic-site and hospitality name. Its surviving historical importance derives from its early turnpike setting, long association with the Hook family, licensed nineteenth-century hotel operation, Civil War connection, vernacular construction, and documented material traces of past visitors.
- 2022
Building destroyed by fire
[1]The historic structure burned during the early morning of October 14 in a fire described in available material as alleged arson.
- 2011
National Register listing
[1]Hook's Tavern was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 29.
- 2009
Property offered for sale
[1]The tavern and approximately three adjacent acres were placed on the market.
- 1987
Family ownership ends
[1]Edward Noble acquired the tavern and surrounding property, ending ownership by the Hook family and its descendants.
- 1956
Historic wall inscriptions uncovered
[1]Renovation work exposed names, dates, and comments written on plaster by nineteenth-century occupants or visitors.
- 1862
Civil War requisition and renewed licensing
[1]Confederate forces reportedly commandeered the tavern during severe weather for sick soldiers in February. Samuel Hook also paid for another hotel keeper's license in June.
- 1848
Hotel license granted
[1]Samuel Hook and John B. Sherrard obtained a hotel keeper's license on May 26, formalizing the property's hotel and tavern operations.
- 1840
Hook family acquires the property
[1]The Hook family purchased the property and began the long period of family ownership and operation associated with the tavern.
- 1809
Early construction period concludes
[1]By approximately 1809, the initial structure of the roadside tavern had been established along the Northwestern Turnpike.
- 1790
Earliest reported construction period begins
[1]The earliest part of the tavern is understood to have been built sometime between 1790 and 1809 on property associated with Peter Mauzy.
Products and positioning
A locally significant roadside tavern and hotel serving travelers on the Northwestern Turnpike, later preserved as a historic property.
Hospitality
Tavern and public-house service
Hook's Tavern provided the food, drink, and resting functions expected of a historic roadside tavern serving travelers on the Northwestern Turnpike. Specific menus and branded products are not documented in the supplied sources.
Lodging · 1848
Hotel accommodation
The property operated as a licensed hotel by the mid-nineteenth century. Hotel licenses held by Samuel Hook and John B. Sherrard document its role as a lodging and traveler-service establishment, although detailed room offerings are unavailable.
Controversies
Brand decisions
2011
Historic preservation listingOtherBackground
The building retained architectural and historical significance despite later changes in ownership and use.
Action taken
Hook's Tavern was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 29.
Aftermath
The listing formally recognized the site's importance before its destruction by fire in 2022.
1987
Transfer of property ownershipOtherBackground
After approximately 147 years of ownership by the Hook family and its descendants, the property changed hands.
Action taken
Edward Noble, a real-estate developer from Atlanta, purchased the tavern and surrounding property.
Aftermath
The acquisition ended the family's direct ownership, while the property later changed use and was eventually offered for sale in 2009.
Sources1 sources
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