Blind Hartman’s Tavern was established in 1822 by Jacob Hartman on Pricetown Road in Alsace Township. Hartman was blinded in 1786 at age four while he was playing with his baby brother when the child grasped an awl, and playfully jabbed it into Hartman’s eye, resulting in total blindness in both.

This tragedy didn’t appear to slow him down as he married Catherine (Egolf) Hartman, fathered 10 children and learned the trade of shoemaker to try and support his family. He also was an exceptional wood carver.

In the June 8th, 1895 Reading Eagle, 92-year-old Samuel Edelman gave his own firsthand accounts knowing Hartman when he was a young man,

I was not much more than 18 years old when I first became acquainted with Blind Hartman Jr. He was already married then and had several children. On account of his affliction, he had considerable trouble to support his family, so he was very strongly urged by his friends to start a hotel on the Pricetown Road, about midway between that place and Reading. In those days the farmers of a large portion of eastern Berks had to haul their grain to the Reading dealers, and the Pricetown road was the nearest for them.

Mr. Hartman finally bought 2 acres of land of Daniel Keller for the purpose of building a hotel there. Jacob Fick and Mr. Naugle, who owned a large portion of land on the neighboring hills offered to let him have the timber free of charge.

It was a 2-story log house, this first tavern building. While the structure was being erected it was voiced all over the county that a blind man was going to start a hotel, and a great many people made up their minds as soon as they heard of the project that they would do all in their power to help make the business a success.

When the hotel opened there were people present from every quarter of the county. The little log house was surrounded by a mass of people almost as big as the crowds at the battalions of that period.

The farmers who drove past the place with their grain all considered it their duty to stop here. It was not at all unusual to see 10 to 12 teams tied up at the same time.

Blind Hartman was always behind the bar himself, and waited on his customers just as well as any one could have done with the use of eyes. Whisky was then sold by the gill and half-gill. Blind Hartman would pour out the liquor until the glass was filled to the top without spilling a drop.

Many a time he would walk to Reading all alone. In the city he knew every corner. One of his amusements was to play the fiddle. After he started his hotel his fiddling brought him a great deal of money. There was a dance at Blind Hartman’s tavern about every two weeks, and Blind Hartman furnished all the dancing music himself. These frolics I shall never forget. The crowds were often so large that the little house would not hold one-tenth of the people who came to dance. That time all the young people knew how to dance.

In 1865 Hartman sold his tavern to John Rothaupt for $2,200. Soon after purchasing Rothaupt tore down the original log hotel building Jacob built in 1822 and replaced it with the brick structure that still stands.

Hartman died at the ripe old age of 92 in 1873 – he was in good health until a week before his death, from which he suffered a stroke and never recovered.

Although owned by various people over the decades, the name Blind Hartman’s Tavern stuck until it closed permanently during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. The property was purchased in September 2020 by Bednar Funeral Home, Inc. who currently uses it to conduct funeral services.