Home of Stone's Tavern Inn National Historic Site
and the Annual Stone's Trace Festival of Early American Settler and Pioneer Life and Crafts.

Home of the Stone's Trace Regulators
and the Annual Stone's Trace Regulators Rendezvous and Primitive Camp.

Open every Sunday from 1p to 4p EST from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Stone's Tavern was built when General Mad Anthony Wayne and his men widened an Indian trail north and west of Fort Wayne to make wagon travel possible. Stone's Tavern was one of Noble County's first "commercial" structures. Built by the fourth white settler in Noble County, Richard Stone, the now restored Tavern was opened for travelers in 1839. The tavern was the center of activity for quilting bees, town meetings, post office, stagecoach stop, jury room, jail, dance hall and rest stop for the weary traveler or drover.

Due to it's huge size for the time it was built and it's location along the well traveled trail, it quickly became an early 1800's area landmark and, since 1984, it has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It is also listed in the Indiana State DNR Historic Register.

The building was operated as a tavern from 1839 until about the time of the Civil war when it was sold. At the time of the sale, both Ligonier Indiana and Wolf Lake Indiana were growing towns and each had a new hotel. The value of the tavern was lost and it was then used as a home and later as a barn.

The Stone's Trace Historical Society was founded in April, 1964. In 1965, Mr. Graydon Blue, a local druggist, convinced the owner, Mrs. Mary Slagle, that he could save the original Stone's Tavern building. Mrs. Slagle donated the tavern and three acres of land to the Stone's Trace Historical Society.

When the grounds and Tavern were dedicated 
"to give the past a future" on July 26, 1966,
the 184 charter society members and hundreds from the area dressed in 1800's era costumes to attend the ceremonies and basket dinner.
The first "official" Stone's Trace Pioneer Crafts Festival was held July 20 & 21, 1974.

Today the Tavern is open throughout the Summer every Sunday from 1p to 4p EST, from Memorial Day through Labor Day, during the Annual Pioneer Festival which occurs the weekend after Labor Day, for Special Events and for the Hearthside Dinner event that is served inside twice every year.

Stone's Trace Regulators, a group interested in re-creating the pre-1840 pioneer era, was formed to carry on the tradition of remembering and reenacting early Indiana history and rendezvous events. Each year, at festival time, a trading village with primitive camp reenactors springs up at the south end of the festival grounds to give guests a glimpse of life prior to occupation by the settlers. Civil War reenactors, both Confederate and Union, set up their camps at the North end of the grounds. It is a special treat when they fire the cannon!