New owners have big plans for Fayette County landmark Braddock Inn
The new owners of a well-known Fayette County landmark plan extensive renovations and expansion, including a bed and breakfast and enhancement of a popular antiques/flea market.
Braddock Inn along Route 40 in Farmington and an adjoining parcel of 33 acres of woodlands and recreational buildings have been purchased by Fred and Rhonda Zeigler of Chalk Hill.
The Zeiglers purchased the property from the Dunham family for $500,000, according to county records.
The two-story, white frame structure with surrounding picnic grounds and woods opened as a gas station and eatery in the 1920s. Located about 11 miles east of Uniontown, the inn adjoins a park and monument believed to mark the remains of Gen. Edward Braddock — the only British general interred on foreign soil.
Braddock was mortally wounded several miles from the French Fort Duquesne (today's Pittsburgh) in July 1755 in the Battle of the Monongahela during the French and Indian War. The gravesite is administered as part of nearby Fort Necessity National Battlefield.
“I've always liked Braddock's, and I love the area,” Fred Zeigler said. “I think it's one of the most beautiful in the world — I reared my children here, and my wife and I have invested here.”
One of the former owners, manager Amy Dunham, has been a familiar face at the business for about 40 years.
“I was thrilled,” she said of the sale. “It needs new life breathed into it.”
While Zeigler has offered to keep the staff on board, Dunham is unsure of her role. “I have no problem continuing on, but I think I'd rather do something else,” she said.
The property had been on the market for more than seven years, according to Dunham.
Zeigler said he had “made an offer some time ago that the family thought was too low. Then I got word of the possibility of a housing development there — that would have been the end of Braddock's — flea markets and all.”
Extensive renovations are under way, and Zeigler projects a completion date and reopening in March or April.
The picnic grounds and pavilions adjoining the inn are well-known for a summer flea market that operates from Memorial Day weekend through the first weekend in October. Zeigler said the flea market will continue but may be enhanced with seasonal wine- or beer-tasting festivals.
“I'm planning to do something beyond the flea market,” he said. “I thought that with my experience in managing restaurant staffs, I could do well with it.”
The Zeiglers have extensive holdings in the highlands of Fayette County, including the nearby Stone House Restaurant, the former Woodland Zoo and amphitheater adjoining Fort Necessity National Battlefield, a 700-acre retreat estate known as “Fernstone” and 30 seasonally rented units nearby administered by Ohiopyle Vacation Rentals.
Zeigler intends to renovate and use empty apartments above the restaurant, expanding it to a bed and breakfast. “Braddock's is, after all ‘Braddock's Inn' — we've got to get some people staying there so it can live up to its name,” he said with a laugh.
The bar area will be moved from the entrance to a more private area in the rear. Drop ceilings installed in the 1970s are being replaced with a more rustic look to blend with the knotty pine paneling of the interior. The décor is intended to mimic the ambiance of a general store.
Many familiar interior furnishings and pictures were included in the transaction: An early corner cupboard and a print of Gen. Braddock's defeat at the Battle of the Monongahela.
Dunham said the family couldn't part with her mother's stein collection, which the family will retain.
Some old favorites — homemade soups and sandwiches — will stay on the menu. An ice cream bar will be added near the entrance.
Franklin LaCava is a Trib Total Media contributing writer.
