The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-02-04
Old VIRGINIA TAVERNS.
MIN VINO KEPf xSD THE Class
THAT VISITED THEM
..,,,e Of the Most femous of These Road
.ide Bols'cries are fio'"'eu- VI"
hickory - Jackson's stopping Place

The old Nirginian iaNerns' lot ''"e
.. known As ordinarics. commonly pro-
-..nccd or-na-rics. are now things OF the
s. Tho railroads. the steamboats,. the
'..-raph. and the stirring activity Of
.,,s age have annihnated the old state
~ thlnes which made the taverns on
.,v road an over the State an absolute
..ss.fv. The remains Of these old hol-
...,sc.. which fifty years ago sheltered
.so travellers from Maine 10 Texas, are
... tumbllng to pieces with decay The
..,ern or ordinary. generally with a long
..-eh occupying tho whole icnsth %. 'ic
.-.e. and situated on The side OF an
.. main thoroughtarcs. was the pfoml-
, nlacc in every neighboghood. There
.. country people met 20 hear the news,
t,fk politics. and % sell any farm
..nHcs that they wished. for the ordi-
,.ry had use for them an. and there
-r- was the home market OF tho dis
...f Not every man I'm those days had
risht to carry on a tavern IL was q"
.nnortant privilege. a license had 10 pc
obtained from tho County Court .o
la 'Souircs had 20 be satisfied that '"c
.,st,o,t VAS n man OF good character
~9 that he would keep an orderly mousse
..r which he should give bond, ana that
could keep sufficient ana proper
lodging. meat. and drink 10 ut'eie'S
and their beasts at rates 70 DC nNeu
periodically by the court ana 10 'nvi"
and 10 them alone. who obtained ,,'1
f..ereo ~ keep taverns was given the
,s-,gucce 10 sell LIQUOR 20 be drunk
whore sold. For these PRIVILEGES lhe
cavern keepers paid large tax, when
constituted a large part OF the revenue
81 the Commonwealth. Their cstanllsh-
,nont was absolutely necessary lot the
travellers and the transportation OF lhel
productions 20 market. Scat'creu aioh7
30 r,hNc highways at an average dis
lance Of about four miles apart oil course
thcy were Of different grades. Al one
tbo eobe~-siied traveller would be az
coumodafcd az a tavern suitable 10 MS
taste and 20 his purse. Al another me
aristocratc owner Of spacious ana
fashionable carriage drawn by inc horaes'
with his wife and daughters anu 'leH
servants. on his way 20 the INTO SUI
uhur Springs. could be entertained NJ "A
tavern. where he could have anything
De could call fer. At another. the drivers
az hogs and Fat cattle from beyond the
T.ue Ridge could easily find tavern
provided with special accommodation for
themselves and their stock. Another af-
f.ried a place where the fast young men
-,uld worship the -four kings" without
With the streaks of daylight in the early
morning.
Tho Glory Of the Road.
ina glory OF the road and the adj
rrlration OF the crowd who came 10 the
tavern 10 see g. was the stage carrying
Tho United states mail. Swinging upon
leather straps (before the invention of
snring0, the great oval body. painted
with gorgeous colors. with nine passen-
gers within and one beside the driver
and AZ many as could set upon the boxes
on the top. drawn by four or some
times six horses. with the approaches
leraided by blasts of the busle
" the driver the stage IS driven mp
20 the tavern porch to change horses
and TO give the passengers time 10 get
dinner The driver dismounts from his
seat hourishes his whip, as self impor-
tsat as an admiral on - flag ship opens
the door and hands out the ladies' who
are received BY the laudlady herself
our host. a veritabe Boniface. having
invited the gentlemen 70 stop az the bar
escorts them 70 the board upon which
appears the old Virginia ham, surrounded
IN the dish by salad and green's dotted
at intervals with poached eggs, the
Brunswick stew, lamb and peas. beef
and turnips, and all the vegetables OF
the season With such a rcpast the
miles an hour I'm which he has been
pulled and jolted through the rcd mud
md over the c0rduroyed roads. But the
hugle sounds again; fresh horses are
hitched up all aboard IS the cry: the
travellers hurry 20 their seats. tho driver
cracks his long whip. sounding like
pistol shot. and off goes the stage. flash
ing In the sunlight and vanishing Ike
q phantom.
They Travelled in Gangs.
The most important conveyances travel
ing the roads and being cared for by the
roadside t8verns were The five and six
horse wagons. They were ve-itable inland
ships. carrying 10 market the products
~ State almost entirely agricultural in
her pursuits They carried am that ,s now
transported By the railroads and Steam
boats OF the present day. and hence they
have been entirely superseded by them.
These wagons carried three hogsheads Of
tobacco and 10 bushels OF wheat with the
average team AZ a load. and the freight
was in accordance with the distance. The /
wagons also acted as commission mer-
Grants Tor the country people IN selling |
and buying an theT small articles. ana /
by their return loads they brought al the |
goods OF the various country stores.
They generally Travelled in gangs. some |
twenty or thirty, one behind the other. |
A't mutual AsaA'teAilift III Itl PAGES IN me /
foad. The wagons were covered with !
tent cloth; the harness OF the horses |
spangled with bells: every one followed |
~ big bull dog. that trotted along up- |
der the hinder part of the wagon. tied 10 /
the c0uplngpole during the day and /
showing his teeth 70 every one who APP |
preached him.
When the distances between the taverns /
dii not suit, or the weather was good tho |
w1goners camped out. on dark night !
group OF road wagons around a big fire |
made OF tho adjoining fence rails. with |
The glitterlng sparks 0ashing among the |
leaves OF the oaks OF the forest. with the |
horses feeding n their troughs. with a I
fiaiRart WAGNER and the big bull dog |
standing sentinel over The sleepers the /
wagon horses would afford material for |
tho brush OF a insster.
The old Mail Routes.
There IS a common link ia the various |
roads from the south and West to Wash |
ington, running upon a ridge through the /
county Of Cumberland. which has some /
claim 20 be historic. Its Oh name was
the Carolina road. ard over Il Mr.. Cali
houn McDuiile. Mr.. Clay and Mr.. Ben
ton and John Randolph. OF Roanoke. on
horseback, accompanied by two serVancs
and sometimes with a mack Of docs. |