THE RED TAVERN: A PUBLIC HOUSE IN ARISTES, 1904
John Rhodenberger built the original Red Tavern around 1800 in the
southern part of Columbia County along the road from Catawissa to
Reading in what was then Catawissa Township. The location was a few
miles north of Centralia. Rhodenberger’s belief that it would be
successful in attracting travelers proved to be the case. One account
described it "as a great place of social concourse during the old
stage [coach] days." In the book, Columbia County Place Names,
its author, Walter M. Brasch, writes that Rhodenberger "hung a red
lantern on the front porch to guide travelers, the tavern became known
as the Red Tavern."
The development of coal mining in the area and the building of the
Reno Colliery by the mid-1860s prompted a growth in the population. This
caused Samuel Leidy, who owned the Red Tavern during this time, to
become a real estate developer by laying out a village he called Montana
in 1865. With the establishment of a post office in 1897, the name changed to
Aristes.
The above photograph is the second Red Tavern built by U. F.
Fetterman in 1890. By the time of World War I it ceased to exist as a
tavern and became a residence for a number of years.
