(By Judy Ann Fields from the People’s Defender 1967)

There aren’t many places in the county that can compare their historical background with the Treber Inn’s interesting past, which makes it one of our most treasured landmarks. Early in the eighteenth century the Treber family immigrated from Holland and settled in Maryland. Being an adventurous soul, John Treber brought his family down the Ohio River in 1794, along with other families and arrived in Limestone, now known as Maysville, Kentucky. Here his wife died and in 1797 he married a widow and moved to Adams County, Ohio.

He settled a farm on Lick Fork about five miles northeast of West Union on the Maysville and Zanesville Pike. There were only a few other settlers in the territory. Among them were Andrew Ellison who had settled about half a mile southwest, where the old stone house now stands, Daniel Colier, Duncan McKinsey, Lewis Piatt and a few others were also early settlers in the area.

Mr. Treber first built a cabin for temporary shelter for his family. In 1798 he built a two-story house of hewn log which in later years was weather boarded and a stone foundation added. The large kitchen and dining room in the rear is of stone quarried in the vicinity. He opened this as one of the first taverns operated in Adams County. A shingle was hung beside the road inscribed “Tavern’s Entertainment.” About the same time he built the inn, he also built a gunsmith shop where he made every part of a gun from raw material.

Mr. Treber kept this tavern until 1825, when he traded it to his son, Jacob, for his farm on Killenstown Ridge. Jacob continued the old tavern until about 1850 when the railroad was introduced. This changed the country taverns from a profitable business into a memory and the old sign by the side of the road was taken down after 50 years. Being located on the main thoroughfare in the state, known as Zane’s Trace, this inn has sheltered many distinguished guests. The most prominent was General Andrew Jackson while on his way to be inaugurated as president of our country after his election in 1828.

Also not far to the north of the house is a monument marking the grave of Zachariah Moon, a member of a Kentucky regiment in the War of 1812, who died on this farm.

Even before John Treber settled and built the inn, the land had a history of its own. In December of 1793 John and Asahel Edgington and Cornelius Washburn went on a hunting expedition near Brush Creek. They had good hunting and killed a number of bear and deer. They saved the skins and hams of the deer and fleeced the bears. A scaffold was built to hang the meat out of reach of the wolves and wild animals and they returned home for pack horses. The next day the two Edgington brothers returned alone and not thinking any danger, because the Indians were in their winter home near Chillicothe, they alighted from their horses. As they began to strike a fire, a platoon of Indians fired upon them, at a distance of not more than 20 paces. Asahel fell immediately. Between the sharp crack of rifles and the yells of the Indians, as they leaped from their hiding places, the horses took to the trail homeward, while John ran at his fastest pace. In that same moment the Indians threw down their guns and ran after him. They pursued, screaming and yelling in their horrid manner. For about a mile the Indians stepped in Edgington’s tracks, almost before the bending grass could rise. The uplifted tomahawk was frequently so near his head that he thought he could feel its edge. After a long race, he outdistanced them, made his escape, and reached home.

The next day friends from Manchester came to look for Asahel’s body and found his head stuck upon a pole near the cedar tree where he fell. His remains were gathered and buried near the creek.

In the ensuing years the waters caused the land to wear away, exposing his skeleton. Once again it was gathered and re-interned by friends.