WALKER HOUSE
MORAN HOTEL
2 W. MAIN STREET
Built in 1815 by Zadoc Walker, this inn was known as the Walker House for most of its history. In this 1876 photo it was called the Spottsylvania House.
Courtesy “In Other Years,” by John K. Gates © 1979
A colorized version of the photo above
Walker House Snapshot:
- This lot was originally purchased in 1784 to an innkeeper named Colin Campbell for $13.33
- Zadoc Walker purchased this property in 1794 and in 1815 he constructed a 2 story brick tavern and hostelery
- Walker House became a popular place to go in Uniontown. Some distinguished guests were the Marquis de Lafayette, Albert Gallatin, and William Henry Harrison
- The building changed hands several more times and housed many different businesses until James Moran purchased it in 1909. He renamed it the Moran Hotel
- In 1924 the Citizens Title & Trust Co. razed the hotel and built an 8 story office building. Various businesses and banks occupied this building for years. Currently, this building is home to many muncipal offices
Walker House- The Full Story:
On the corner of Elbow St. and Middle Alley (now Main St. and Beeson Blvd.), Lot No. 43 was purchased by Colin Campbell in 1784 for $13.33. He was licensed as an innkeeper, but in 1786 he sold this property to one Samuel Salter who kept a tavern until 1810.
Zadoc Walker purchased the property on April 7, 1794. In 1815, Walker built a large two-story brick tavern and hostlery, which became the most popular place of entertainment in the town. Among the many distinguished guests who were entertained and lodged at the Walker House was the Marquis de Lafayette while touring the country—and western Pennsylvania—in 1825. He was guarded by Colonel Henry White Beeson, of Uniontown, who would later be promoted to the rank of Brigadier General.
Marquis de Lafayette
Colonel Henry White Beeson
Santa Anna, the famous general and future president of Mexico, stopped overnight around 1834 en route to Washington, DC. Former Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin stayed at the Walker House in 1835. Gen. William Henry Harrison was also once a patron of this establishment, on the way to his 1841 inauguration in the nation’s capital. After Zadoc Walker’s retirement, his son William conducted the business for a short time. Several other proprietors took over the hotel but kept the Walker House name until the 1840s when it became the Franklin House as well as the United States House under Redding Butin. The prothonotary’s office of Fayette County had its home here during the erection of the courthouse in 1845-47.
Zalmon Ludington purchased this property in 1846 from the heirs of Zadoc Walker and occupied it as a private residence, using the corner room for his leather and shoe business. In the 1870’s it was known as the Spottsylvania House and John Manaway was its owner.
Hugh L. Rankin bought the property in 1886, and converted it to a three-story brick edifice—with a turreted corner bumpout—that extended down Beeson Boulevard. (then known as Broadway) all the way to Peter Street. In 1909, James Moran acquired the building and renamed it the Moran Hotel.
Broadway Boulevard looking north under the glow if its new electric lights
Broadway Boulevard
Expanded and with a new exterior, the Walker House was bought by James Moran in 1909 and renamed the Moran Hotel Courtesy “In Other Years,” by John K. Gates © 1979
In the 1924 the property was acquired by the Citizens Title & Trust Co. which razed the historic hotel to erect an eight-story office building with Greek columns. Later that became the Second National Bank, followed by Gallatin National Bank, and then Integra Bank. More recently the building went into receivership and was acquired by Fayette County to house municipal offices such the Election Bureau. For the longest time, this properety was one of the very few Main Street lots retaining its original dimensions of 72 1/2 feet front, as laid out by founder Henry Beeson.
A postcard showing the new Citizens Title and Tust Company
Fayette County Historical Society
P.O. Box 193, Uniontown, PA 15401
724.439.4422