STAGECOACH STOP STILL STANDING ON THE MIDLAND TRAIL

The Absolam Bowen Tavern, known also as the "Six Mile House" is located on the Charleston side of Little Tyler Mountain.  The tavern was built by Absalom Bowen in 1835,  and served as a watering hole for General Henry Wise's Union troops In 1861. It was a two  story house with living quarters above the tavern. The house was both a tavern and stagecoach stop on the old Midland Trail.  The present owners grew up in the house with a total of 13 people living there.

The house still remains today, and is in the process of possibly being preserved. ( Stay tuned for updates )

 Showing the size of the logs and corner fittings used back in 1835

These rocks are probably the same that  Absolam Bowen placed there in 1831
They were used as space fillers, and clay was placed over them to fill the cracks

One of the upstairs rooms.

As was common in the day, old newspaper was used as wallpaper filler.  This section is from 1933.


Ad from the 1933 Gazette newspaper.

This shows the original painted ceiling beams before the drop ceiling was much later installed.

Look at the width of that log!

Charleston Daily Mail. 1953

Twenty years ago I saw the house pretty much as it was originally built. The owners had removed the old siding and it was down to the logs. Unfortunately  I didnt take photos back then.  New siding was applied and now it's coming off again.  I hope to document the complete removal of this siding and get photos before the house is moved or possibly preserved in place. . In this area, the Midland Trail follows the route of the historic James River and Kanawha Turnpike, an early road linking canals in the James River in Virginia with the navigable portion of the Kanawha River in West Virginia. The Midland Trail crosses some of the most rugged terrain of the Mountain State. The trail extends for approximately 100 miles  from White Sulphur Springs in the east to Charleston in the west. The trail is believed to have been originally carved into the mountains by buffalo and native peoples. In 1790, George Washington ordered the trail cleared. The trail came to be traveled by stage coaches and soldiers in the Civil War.

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