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When a fire swep tthe Hotel Darlington, October7, 1925, and razed the well known hostelry to the ground, it was the third time in over one hundred years the historic stopping place had burned. Each time it was rebuilt.
The earliest recollection is of the time when people from far and near knew the place as the Egler Place. Witchcraft was practiced at this time and interesting stories of superstition center about some of the familiar characters of the Inn. Darlington was at that time one of the foremost settlements in Western Pennsylvania, and its stores and trading places were the best to be found for miles around. The Egler Place was therefore made a stopping point of the stage coach on its journey from Ohio eastward. It was, before the fire, a mighty contrast between the original house and its early coach patrons, and those patrons that visited the Darlington Hotel in motor buses of the present day.
After the death of Mr. Egler, Jake Marks, his sonin-law, conducted the Inn for some years and then sold it to Freed Arling. It was under the ownership of Mr. Arling that the corner was burned for the second time, and nothing was left of the building. The lot was then sold to Jack Stroick, who, in 1894 erected the front or the frame part of the hotel and about 5 years later a Mr. Boyd from McKeesport took over the building and erected the rear brick portion. A sad feature is that neither Mr. Stroick or Mr. Boyd lived to see the completion of the work they had planned. Mrs. Boyd conducted the hotel for several years, and then sold it to Mr. Merkle of New Castle. Soon after this, the management again changed hands and a Mr. E.W. Cole from Negley, Ohio, formerly of Carnegie became the owner and proprietor. It was at this time that the hotel gained its widest reputation. Throughout nearby states and among travelers from practically all states of the Union, the Cole House enjoyed the reputation of being the best stopping place to be found in Western Pennsylvania. Private parties from Ohio and Pennsylvania points were numerous and frequent. During World War 1, the Red Cross had their headquarters here and huge truck trains made the Cole House their stopping place and were fed by the Red Cross.
After about 19 years of ever-increasing popularity and patronage this historic place again experienced a change of ownership. In 1918 Mr. Cole died and Mrs. Cole found the stress of business too heavy and sold to Joseph Cashbaugh about 1922. Mr. Cashbaugh ran the hotel catering to both transient and permanent guests until the fire of 1925. The Hotel was not rebuilt but a lot of memories remain of that corner in Darlington, that served the people over 100 years.
Researched by Vivian McLaughlin, director.
Research Center, Carnegie Free Library, Beaver Falls, Pa.