Peter Seitz Tavern and Stagecoach Inn

In 1856 German immigrant Peter Seitz built this house as a residence and stagecoach inn on North Custer plank toll road. Early stagecoaches were pulled by teams of up to four horses. The plank roads were constructed of wooden boards to aid travel during the “muddy season.” The tavern was a popular meeting place for area residents as well as stagecoach travelers. It offered lodging, food, spirits and entertainment. Dances and other social and community gatherings were held in the second-floor ballroom. Here residents began plans that led to the founding of St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in 1860. Used as an inn until around the turn of the century, the structure was converted into a single-family home in 1899.