Fate of Uniontown founder’s home at stake
Editor’s Note: The Herald-Standard has repeatedly attempted, without success, to confirm information that Walgreens is purchasing the Mount Vernon Inn. The parties involved have so far declined to comment.If it is true that Walgreens Drug plans to tear down Mount Vernon Inn to build a new store, then Uniontown is about to lose not only its oldest building, but the home of one of its co-founders. Looking at the Mount Vernon Inn, you see an old house above on the upper side. Some call it the Stockton house and others refer to it as the Gilmore/ Bliss mansion, but it is actually the Jacob Beeson mansion erected in 1785-86. Jacob and Henry are Uniontown’s co-founders.
When Jacob Beeson first came here from Virginia to join Henry, he settled in Henry’s old log cabin where Mount Vernon Towers now stands, until moving into the mansion. Jacob was visited in that cabin by George Washington on Sept. 23, 1784 and given a silver snuff box with Washington’s initials engraved on it. Upon leaving, the father of our country said “God bless you, Jacob.” In 1785, Jacob began constructing his mansion which still stands today after a history of over 219 years.
Jacob Beeson founded the first addition to “Beesontown,” or “Mill Seat,” that extended from Cheat (Morgantown) Street to the Mount Vernon Inn site. This addition began around 1780 and was deemed “Mt. Vernon” by Jacob, and was also called “Pointer,” “Pughtown,” and “Jacob’s First Addition.” Jacob lived there until his death in 1818 and his widow until hers in 1825. There is still a Jacob Beeson descendent with that name living here today.
Daniel Moore purchased the mansion on March 23, 1831 for his daughter Rebecca, the wife of L.W. Stockton. Stockton christened it “Ben Lomond” after a Scottish mountain. He added a covered driveway to the west end and put up large gates at the entrance that were decorated with carved horse heads. Stockton managed the National Stage Coach line.
After Stockton’s death in 1844, Dr. Howard Kennedy of Hagerstown, Md., lived there until 1851. Everhart Bierer lived there next, until selling it to Judge Samuel A. Gilmore on April 1, 1855. Gilmore died May 15, 1873, but his daughter lived there until her death in 1945. She was the wife of A.W. Bliss, a business partner of George C. Marshall Sr. George and Laura Marshall lived with the Blisses for a time shortly after they were married.
George C. Marshall Jr., future chief of staff to President Franklin Roosevelt during World War II, spent much of his childhood playing at that house and in that yard with the Bliss girls. When he came home to Uniontown for Marshall Day on Sept. 9, 1939, he was given a lavish celebration at the White Swan Hotel. When the dinner and program concluded, he left the hotel and walked on out West Main Street, past the spot where he had been born almost 59 years before, and up to the Bliss home. He went around to the back door, just like he did as a boy, and knocked. Fred Hallow, who had been the family butler during Marshall’s childhood, let the general in. He went into the living room and knelt down next to Mrs. Bliss’s chair and said, “Mrs. Bliss, I feel like I’m really home now!”
With Fayette County Commissioner Joe Hardy doing everything that he can to bring business to downtown Uniontown while still preserving and restoring its heritage of fine, old buildings, it would sure be great if Walgreens could follow suit and try to somehow preserve the 219-year-old mansion of one of Uniontown’s co-founders.
How about it, Walgreens? Mt. Vernon Inn did business for 59 years with the mansion there. Can you?
The Revs. Peter A. Malik and Travis Deans are residents of Uniontown and co-authors of the book, “The Uniontown Childhood of Gen. George C. Marshall.