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It has been situated at the corner of Greentree Road and Woodville Avenue in the West End since at least 1782, making it the oldest commercial building in Pittsburgh.

Now celebrating what is believed to be its 240th birthday, the Old Stone Tavern has seen its share of history, hosting thirsty American Revolutionary War veterans and lending support to the Whiskey Rebellion over federal taxation.

And yet, if it wasn’t for the colonial flag affixed to the front porch, you might not realize the building was anything more than just an old fieldstone edifice painted red.

But on July 23, a group dedicated to preserving the building and its history known as Pittsburgh’s Old Stone Tavern Friends Inc. and the American Legion will celebrate the dedication of a plaque awarded by the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation. It designates the Old Stone Tavern as one of the oldest buildings in the city.

“The plaque is recognition of the extensive research that we’ve done through the years to identify some of the historical significance of the building and it’s still a work in progress,” said Chad Glover, a member of the board of Pittsburgh’s Old Stone Tavern Friends Inc.

In the process of digging for information, the group discovered a handwritten ledger covering the years from 1793 to 1797 and researched the people whose names appeared in it.

“We looked at who they were, if they fought in any of the wars and things like that,” said Glover.

From that single ledger, the group identified 109 revolutionary war veterans, 16 veterans of the War of 1812 as well as 91 rebels in the Whiskey Rebellion who visited the Tavern.

“You can clearly see it was a meeting house for the rebellion,” said Glover. “The tavern was open from probably the 1770s until 2008, so veterans of just about every war patronized the place.”

The group also has proof that at least one U.S. President appeared at the tavern.

“We have an 1869 newspaper article that reports that President Ulysses S. Grant and Mrs. Grant stopped there on their way to visit relatives in Washington County,” said Norene Beatty, president of Pittsburgh’s Old Stone Tavern Friends Inc.

Beatty has been collecting stories of local people who remember family members visiting the Tavern. There is one story in particular that she loves to tell.

“A woman said her grandmother never complained when grandpa stopped at the Old Stone Tavern because his horse knew the way home,” said Beatty.

The building had fallen into disrepair before a family, Barbara and Steve Porter and their son Robert Porter, purchased it last November, promising to preserve and restore the historic site.

“The tavern is not in bad shape actually,” said Glover. “The stone is very strong. There is plaster there that needs to be redone. Whoever painted it, you could say that was in poor taste, but it probably did history a favor by protecting it.”

The July 23 celebration runs from 1:30 to 8 p.m. on the grounds of The Old Stone Tavern at 434 Greentree Road in the West End. It includes food and drink, music and history lessons as well as a 21-gun salute. Admission is free.

It’s an event that Glover said the Old Stone Tavern Friends hope to build upon when it comes to creating interest in the building.

“We want to get the community involved and start educating people about this historical building they’ve driven by on Greentree Road for years. And the land around it could be part of a revitalization of the West End.”

Paul Guggenheimer is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Paul at pguggenheimer@triblive.com.

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