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and take in scenery, history, or much else while joy riding. Even those of us who brave the ‘gap’ from the relative safety of our jalopies probably make the trip to Luray or back in quick time without giving much thought to the myriad tales of the past that are hidden just beyond the asphalt and the guardrails.
Staying over
In the 1700s (indeed, until 1900 or later), a trip from New Market to Fredericksburg was a three-day extravaganza each way - so what did you expect with four to six horsepower pulling the conveyances. There were few red-eye coach trips in those days This meant sleep and feed stops were mandatory.
Overnight accommodations were problematic; when stopping for the night, riders knocked at the nearest B&B (read private home) to find a place to lay the body down. This ad hoc hostelry was overwhelmed as mountain traffic dramatically increased.
Accommodations of varying ‘luxury’ existed at Thornton Gap from at least 1760: ‘stage stands’ like the Hawksberry Inn for the well-heeled, ‘wagon stands’ for the drivers, and ordinaries for, well, all the rest of us. Other similar establishments appeared along the roadside at strategic locations.
Keep in mind that, just like today, service stations were required for the motive power.
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