[2] In the early years of the nineteenth century, the National and Dayton-Springfield Roads were major transportation arteries for those bound for the West and for Cincinnati respectively.

Before the coming of the railroads, the Pennsylvania House provided beds and food for commoners and famous individuals alike.

According to local lore, among the inn's guests were such individuals as Henry Clay, Charles Dickens, Andrew Jackson, and James K. Polk.

By the end of the Civil War, travellers on the National Road were so rare that the Pennsylvania House saw very little traffic indeed, and it closed in 1869.

Despite its closure, the building has remained in fine condition for well over one hundred years; architectural elements such as the double-hung windows and the ornate six-panel doors have survived with little damage.