Bull's Head Tavern, Cobleskill, NY
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Was the Bull's Head Tavern the only hotel in Cobleskill back in the 1800's?

Oh goodness, no. The United States Hotel operated in the building we now know as Partyland/Harmony Acres and the Schoharie County Arts Council on Main Street and Union. There was the Hotel Augustan, now the site of Scholet Furniture on Main Street. The Commercial Hotel operated opposite the train depot on Railroad Avenue. The Exchange Hotel operated on West Main Street. And those are just the major ones!

Why did Cobleskill need so many hotels back then?

Part of the answer is the Lunnenberg Turnpike which came up the Hudson, went through Middleburgh on to Cobleskill and then to Sharon Springs. There was a great deal of traffic on the turnpike as farmers brought cattle, turkeys, sheep, pigs, and merchants brought goods and services up and down the Pike. All these people - and animals, too - needed places to rest and to eat.

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