Berks County Bar Association The Berks Barrister Fall 2020 - 20

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Book Review
Well-Behaved Taverns
Seldom Make History
By M. DIANE MCCORMICK

Reviewed by Donald F. Smith, Jr., Esquire

I

t was in June 1980 that I had my first
Bombay gin martini. Thus began a 40-year
love affair.

The setting? The screen-enclosed dining
room of the Black Bass Hotel in Lumberville,
Bucks County, alongside the Delaware River.
The view on a summer evening, combined
with a rustic atmosphere, good food and
the inaugural imbibe made for a memorable
evening, celebrating our wedding anniversary.
We have returned multiple times without
knowing the establishment's history-until
now! The Black Bass is one of twelve
Pennsylvania pubs featured in Well-Behaved
Taverns Seldom Make History by M. Diane
McCormick, a Harrisburg journalist and former
press secretary in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
I found the book to be quite enjoyable. Why? It combines
three of my favorite pastimes: history, food and beverage. While
visiting each tavern, the author did extensive interviews of the
owners, bartenders, servers and chefs, giving the reader a real
feel for the place. But Ms. McCormick's research did not stop
there. She has added historical, contextual color gleaned from her
reading more than 170 sources, as listed in an appendix, including
books, newspaper accounts, magazine articles and websites.
The chapter on each tavern follows a similar outline: meet
the proprietor; tour of the tavern; its history; "touch" history that
includes whether there are any ghosts, descriptions of the food
scene, the beverage scene and lodging, if offered; and what of
interest is nearby.

20 | Berks Barrister

Built in the 1740s, the Black Bass is one
place where George Washington never slept.
To the contrary, when the Revolutionary
War general arrived one evening looking for
shelter, the Tory proprietor turned him away.
Liza Minnelli, on the other hand, was not
turned away when she stopped to dine on her
honeymoon; she sang at the piano into the
early hours of the morning. What a treat for
staff and guests!
Ms. McCormick took note of my favorite
dish on the Black Bass menu, the Charleston
Meeting Street Crab consisting of "crab,
reduced cream, sharp cheddar cheese and
sherry." However, she ordered instead the fish
and chips. "Battered in American pale ale and
served with a tasty herb tartar sauce, the fish
was yummy and satisfying. The red cabbage slaw on the side was
so good I could have eaten another serving for dessert."
Her writing style is light, almost folksy, while at the same
time, detailed and informative. It is so much more than a Fodor's
dry rating of Pennsylvania pubs.
Go about 30 miles north of Reading and you arrive at the
Wooden Keg Tavern in St. Clair, Schuylkill County. As described
by Ms. McCormick, rumor has it that the Molly Maguires
congregated there, "scheming terror against the coal barons in a
desperate attempt to liberate their families from shacks, disease,
and starvation." Built circa 1870, the tavern does feature a
basement tunnel that some have claimed was used by Mollys to
escape detection.
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