Route 40 is blessed with a significant
number of taverns that served travelers in the 18th
and 19th centuries. Many, such as the Red Brick Tavern
in Lafayette, Ohio, continue to do business.
The Red Brick Tavern was built in 1837
and is the second oldest tavern in the Buckeye state.
Six presidents (John Quincy Adams, Van Buren, Harrison,
Tyler, Taylor and Harding) have dined here.
The Red Brick Tavern was also the subject
of one of George R. Stewart's essays in his book U.S.
40. The decorative and sentimental ivy has been
removed -- probably to help preserve the building. The
ornate sign from 1953 (which probably contained some
fine neon work) is long gone. The old sign sat in the
back yard of the tavern for years, but was eventually
discarded.
In recent years, the white fence has
been removed.
Read
more about Route 40's taverns.
