Israel and Mary Yount, with their family, were keepers of the Washington House, a Gettysburg tavern, from 1860 through 1863. (They did not own the building.) The Washington House was located on Carlisle Street between the square and railroad. The building is no longer there. Today, the Lincoln Diner sits on the approximate site.

On June 26, Confederate Gen. Early's troops visited Gettysburg on the way to Hanover and York. They put a levy on the town which included Whiskey. Israel's stocks became Confederate property. This perhaps accounts for his not renewing his license to operate the Washington House in 1864.

During the 1850s Israel operated a tavern called The Stand in Littlestown, Adams County. He died in 1892 and is buried in Gettysburg's Evergreen Cemetery. At least one historian contends that Israel's grave occupies the site of the platform where Lincoln gave the Gettysburg address.

All photographs © 1999 Bill Cole, all rights reserved.