Mrs. K's Toll House

About

www.twitter.com/mrskstollhouse

Story

Mrs. K’s Toll House Restaurant is situated in what was the last operating tollhouse in Montgomery County. Just like modern day tollgates, travelers would stop and pay a toll before using the privately owned road. The Washington-Colesville-Ashton Turnpike ran from Silver Spring to Ashton along what is now Route 29. The resident farmer, Mr. Allen, accepted the tolls of about 4 cents a horse. To the best of our knowledge this building has never been used as an inn. The only people to stay on the property over the years have been the guests and family of the toll keepers and Kreuzburgs. Between the times that the tollhouse stopped collecting tolls and became Mrs. K’s, it passed through a number of hands and was operated primarily as a roadside tavern. Rumor has it that the “inside” dining rooms were actually used for a speakeasy during prohibition. Although this fact is difficult to confirm it certainly makes for interesting story telling.

Until 1927 Blanche and Harvey Kreuzburg were operating a small restaurant on K Street in Washington D.C. It was their dream to one day own a restaurant in the country with a cozy atmosphere. As it happens they purchased the tollhouse in late 1929 and opened for business, as Mrs. K’s Toll House Tavern, on April 1, 1930. The room to the left of the front lobby, where you find the plates with Ben Franklin’s Maxims, is actually one of the original dining rooms. During the early years this room and the two carpeted dining areas were the only rooms used. About 1943 the lower porch area was enclosed for dining, and the original dining room was transformed into a small pallor or waiting area. In 1996 the parlor was returned to a dining room, to accommodate those guests who find the many steps physically challenging. This transformation has rekindled the warmth of the room and provides a wonderful seating area for smaller groups of guests. Should you require an area that is wheelchair accessible please inform the hostess when making your reservations.