The Clay Haus is located in an early 1800s building along US 22 in Somerset. (Credit: Ken Drenten)

By Ken Drenten

The Clay Haus in Somerset, a restaurant that specializes in German and American food, has been serving sauerbraten, prime rib and steaks since 1978, but its roots go back much further than that.

The restaurant was named after the owners’ father, Irwin Clay Priest. The owners also have Pennsylvania Dutch roots, hence the “Haus,” German for “house.”

The restaurant’s structure was built sometime between 1812 to 1820, in a rowhouse style similar to houses one would find in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the early 1800s. Pennsylvania Dutch people settled Somerset (then known as Middletown) in 1808, traveling by covered wagon along Zane’s Trace.

The first owner of the home, George Jackson, hosted his cousin, President Andrew Jackson, at the house. Henry Clay, a noted U.S. senator, visited the house on his way to the Breech Bill Hotel (now Somerset Pharmacy) just two doors east.

Learn more about Somerset and Zane’s Trace in this video. If the video does not appear in the email, please use this link — https://youtu.be/QDfHnBt0Fos

Other owners of what became the Clay Haus were Dr. Jesse Morris, Frederick Mains, a tinsmith, and William Jackson, a Civil War veteran who was later noted for his fife playing in Memorial Day parades. The Clay Haus is also well-known as a place of paranormal or ghostly activity.

Today, in addition to the Clay Haus’ rich history, the restaurant serves specialties including sauerbraten, German chicken, chicken in a bird’s nest and chicken ala orange as well as steaks, prime rib, pasta and seafood dishes. The Clay Haus is well known for its excellent food, including its Reuben sandwiches and French onion soup.

Ken Drenten is creator and editor of Dusty-Tires.com, a travel blog for out-of-the-ordinary places in Ohio.

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