Abel Colley was a son of Peter Colley who had an early tavern (Peter Colley Tavern) on the National Road nearly two miles northwest of this building in Redstone Township. Reputedly, Abel Calley's tavern-keeping enabled him to accumulate a fortune. Although Searight stated that Colley built this large brick house after he retired from the business in the 1850s, the architectural details of the building indicate that it was probably built before that time. In addition, this building retains typical tavern features, including the separate door into the barroom, evidence of former corner benches in the barroom, and second-floor rooms that can be joined to form a dance floor.
In 1823 Abel Colley was taxed in Menallen Township as a farmer with forty acres. By1829 his acreage had increased to 70 acres. This growth continued through 1837, when Colley was first assessed as an innkeeper with the 70 acres and for the rent on another 50 acres. Colley continued to purchase additional tracts into the 1840s. He was evaluated as an innkeeper through 1852.
By 1856 he was assessed as a farmer, and no tavern stands were listed for Menallen Township that year. Only the Searight Tavern operated during specific periods after this time. During the early National Road period, innkeepers had considerably higher incomes than farmers, artisans, and craftsmen. This enabled men like Colley to purchase additional lands and build large taverns. Unlike most taverns between Uniontown and Brownsville, this tavern was owner-operated. Abel's son, W. Searight Colley, owned the property from 1872 through 1894 as a residence.
Menallen Township, located in the Redstone Valley, continued to be known as a rich agricultural area in the late nineteenth century. The National Road cut across the township in a northwesterly direction, connecting Uniontown with Brownsville, creating a commercial outlet for the township. By 1823, there were seven taverns in the township. Six taverns continued to operate up to about 1850. William Searight and Abel Colley had two of the best-known taverns in the area. Thelarge, stone Searight tavern, which burned in 1940, was located less than a half mile east of the Abel Colley Tavern.
The Abel Colley Tavern is one of about thirty taverns/hotels which were· determined eligible as part of the Multiple Property Resources of the National Road. It is one of two documented to survive in Menallen Township. The nearby Frost Tavern was named in Grantz's 1987 study.
Like most of the surviving National Road taverns, this one is of masonry construction. In addition to its large size, the Colley Tavern retains many other features that make it identifiable as a tavern, including the kitchen, which has a double-stacked porch, and the two front doors, one of which opens into the barroom area. The building's floor plan remains intact, and it retains more of its interior woodwork than most.
