1872 · Indiana County, Pennsylvania
by [Tavern Licenses]
Indiana County, Pennsylvania, 1872. Various sizes, bulk measure approximately 30 x 19 cm. Twenty-three court documents related to the sale of liquor and operation of a public house or tavern in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, located east of Pittsburgh. Indiana County's first court convened in a tavern in 1806, testament to the integral role taverns played in American public life. These later documents submitted to and generated by the "Honorable judges of the court of quarter sessions in and for Indiana County" include petitions from applicant, certificates attesting to applicant's character signed by citizens, and bond. Most documents handwritten, with the latest applications (1865 and 1872) appearing as a printed form completed in the applicant's hand. Consistent contractual language used throughout. The charge for public houses is to provide with housing "and other conveniences for the accommodation of the public, and the entertainment of strangers and travelers". Notable, perhaps, is that Indiana County was an important location on the Underground Railroad in the 1830s-40s. Collection features the application of one woman (1856) and a petition to "hawk and peddle clocks for the term of one year" (1848). Condition mostly consistent with creases and brittle, chipping edges, otherwise very good. (Inventory #: 3655)