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Tittle's Tavern (Circa 1771 to 1789) By Steve Colby Updated: Aug. 23, 2010 Peter Tittle's Tavern was a well known stopping point on the old Braddock Road, circa 1771 to 1789, in the area now known as Frostburg, MD. (MAP IT) The tavern was located approximately six miles west of Gwynn's Tavern, in today's LaVale, MD, and twelve miles east of Tomlinson's Tavern in Little Meadows (Garrett County). The lack of historical attention it receives belies its importance to the later Frostburg. As noted in an entry in Vaughn's Journal (below), circa 1787, a community of approximately 500 families was simply noted as "Tittles" on maps of the time. The tavern is well-documented in both written accounts and on maps of the period, but the identity of the owner remains speculative. The confusion stems from references to a least two (Sr. and Jr.), and maybe a third, Peter Tittle in the area during the approximate time period. Information uncovered by several dedicated Tittle Family researchers, leads me to believe Peter Tittle, Sr. (born 1725), formerly of Carlisle, PA, was the owner of the Tavern. MD Land records indicated Peter Tittle, Sr. owned a tract of land, known as “The Mountain” (125 acres) and three adjacent lots (50 acres each), noted on Deakin's Survey of 1787, circa 1771 to about 1789-91. The land is in the general vicinity of where Gen. Braddock's Road crossed Georges Creek in today's Frostburg, MD¹. In the years following the General's ill-fated march to Fort Duquesne (1755), his road became a well-traveled route to the West. There is also evidence Tittle had experience running a tavern. According to PA Court records, circa 1760, Peter Tittle was fined for "For keeping a public house without a license. Defendant being solemnly called appeared not." The Court ordered Title (sic) to “...appear at the next Court and not depart the Court without a license." (Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, quarter session dockets, 1750-1785 By Diane E. Greene) The earliest reference found, to date, placing Tittle's in the Frostburg area in the comes from The Journal of John Parrish, 1773: "...dined at Thomlinson's (sic) Tavern & afterwards rode 10 miles to Tittle's were wet & cold as it frequently is in passing these mountains the Road this Day very bad. 27th Left Tittle's, met great Numbers of People going to the new Country."
In a letter to George Washington, dated Aug. 20, 1774, Mr. Gilbert Simpson writes: "Honored Sir This comes to let you know that (your) mill is likely to go by Christmas provided I can get iron which I cannot tell you at this time how it is to be got without you can get it waggoned to Tittles or to the Little Meadows..." An itinerary of Capt. Isaac Craig's march from Carlisle to Fort Pitt, in 1780, by the way of Fort Cumberland, Md., notes the following locations: “Carlisle, McAllister's, Shippensburg, Little Conococheague, Pauling's, Jacquese's Furnace, Licking Creek, Feeding Rock, Old Town, Fort Cumberland, Hall's, Tittle's, Tomlinson's, Bear Camp,..." ~ Journal of Capt. Jonathan Heart on the march with his company... From the journal of Samuel Vaughn, July 13, 1787: “To Tickle’s farm & tavern. - after a descent of a mile and a half of good land but stony. came to a Creek – a small rising. longer descent when came to waving good land at 5½ miles near a spring is the half way house & here begins Savage Mountain. a small gradual rising & descent then a spring from whence a rising for a mile - all good land ¼ of a mile very hilly and very stony. then a gradual descent when came into a fine bottom where is a small farm. here ends savage mountain the residue in hard stones in white freestone sand & then in Brick mould, in a Bottom where is Tickles & another farm. the farmer raises Tobacco & Indian corn has 25 head Cattle & wheat weighs 67 lb the bushel - on each side of Tickles are many farms and 500 families. The Methodists preach every day in different places, Men Women & Children going 7 or 8 miles on week days, neglecting their Families and farms & which is the only religious sect in the back country through which I passed.” The map below shows Peter Tittle's properties and their location in regard to the area thought to be Gen. Braddock's 2nd Camp and Road. * * * * * * In 1789 (Nov. 12), Peter Tittle sold Lots 3620, 3621 and 3622 to Robert Clark. It is likely the tract known as “The Mountain” is part of the sale. MD State records indicate "The Mountain" is patented to Robert Clark in 1792. It is thought Peter Tittle,Sr. left Allegany County, MD for Kentucky following the sale. It's uncertain whether Robert Clark or his heirs continued operation of the tavern. A reference to "Clark's Store" in William Brown's itinerary of August, 1790 is the only such reference I've been able to locate. Robert Clark died in 1794 and his properties were passed to his children. UPDATES (Oct. 22, 2010) A closer examination of Michael Cresap's patent for The Mountain has reveled information I missed earlier. According to the patent survey, the Braddock Road was 400 perches (or over a mile) SOUTH of the spot designated by the tree on the plat below.  Addtional information pulled from the Chancery Record noted below indicates Robert Clark sued the estate of Michael Cresap, IN 1792, for, what I assume was, the loss of a 57-1/2 acre section of The Mountain that infringed on the earlier Walnutt Levill patent. In my opinion, this section likely contained the site of Tittle's Tavern. This would also explain why there is no further mention of Clark's Store. More shortly... NOTE: I'd like to thank Kathy Marcinek and Sue Reinhard for their invaluable contributions to this article. I hope to publish additional information from their exhaustive studies on the Tittle Family in a later article.
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