Approximate Location of Rippey's Tavern

The hub of activity in Wilkinsburg's early days was Rippey's Tavern, run by Samuel A. Rippey and his wife Sutia. Rippey was the brother-in-law of another prominent Wilkinsburg citizen, Dunning McNair.

Samuel Rippey died in 1812, but Sutia continued to run the tavern prosperously from 1812 to 1820.

Some historical accounts place the arrival of the Rippeys in Wilkinsburg as early 1788, which would make them the first settlers in the area. That timing is unlikely, however, since records show Sutia’s date of birth as October 1777, and Sutia and Samuel’s wedding date as May 1797.

Pictured is one of the later iterations of the tavern as the original was built of wood and no illustrations or pictures are known to have survived.

From The Wilkinsburg Gazette, 1958

Rippey's and other local taverns were the nearest approach to a hotel that the village had until 1907 when a building on Todd street, was erected and named the Wilkinsburg Hotel.

As were all taverns in that era, Rippey's was void of all luxuries and was rough and unpretentious in appearance.

The sleeping quarters for men usually contained two or three beds and the guests were quite often forced to double up, for the taverns were not large and did not have many rooms.

The female guests were boarded up in a cell-like structure that heralded neither wallpaper nor sanitary comfort. If a young lady and her chaperon desired a cup of cold water in the middle of the night...[they] had to venture out to the backyard...

Tallow candles and later oil lamps provided the only illumination and quite often to obtain these was an extra charge.

The largest room in the tavern was usually the dining room, with the exception of the bar. A table was always on reserve for the ladies and aristocracy.

About 1871, a strong resentment toward intoxicating beverages arose among the church goers. As a result, through the efforts of James Kelly, the sale of liquor was stopped and the tavern business became unprofitable.

The Naming of a Town:

Rippey's tavern's location on the Great Road (now Penn Avenue) attracted not only travelers but new settlers to the valley, and thus the settlement was unofficially named "Rippeyville" in the late 1700s. The town was later named McNairstown by the aforementioned Dunning McNair. It wasn't until 1812 that McNair sold a parcel of land and the official deed was in the "Village of Wilkinsburgh." McNair then named the village after his Revolutionary War friend, John Wilkins, Jr.

Sources:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oSSSoV4OTafYrs-YnboE938hrgWzX7gc/view?usp=sharing

https://www.wilkinsburgpa.gov/about-wilkinsburg/history/a-detailed-history/

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