Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1916-02-18
WHEN WAS THE
old INN BUILT?
Indications Are That Building is
81 Years Old and Was Built
With Brick Made By Hand.
Changed Hands Often.

Zone generation builds, the next
tears down." In this day of prog
ress and new things land ruth
lessly disappear and a chapter in his
tory closes and another begins, built
upon the ruins thereof. Tazewell is
: not an cold town" in years, but there
is not perhaps single building stand
ing e,now that is as old as the town.
Necessarily the first buildings erect
ed were cheap, wooden buildings,
which have long ago been removed
and replaced by others.
The Oldest building in town is said
to be part of the May building on
Main Street. Perhaps the next old
est is the "Old Inn," now being torn
more modern building. The eastern
part of the Jeffersonville hotel was
built in the early days of jefferson
vile. The old Julia Moore" build
ing on Main Street is one of Taze-
wells landmarks. This building was
erected by Mr.. Cox, the father Of the
late Captain Cox, of Grafton. There
are number of old, brick buildings
IN the community which have his
tory. The George Peery residence
west OF town is one of them
The Old Brick Church.
One of the earliest brick structures
erected here was the Methodist church
which stood just south of town and
near the residence of Judge S. G. Gra-
nam. This building was never com
pleted entirely. The church was lat
er removed to what is now lower
West Main Street. In the church
yard of the first Methodist church
near Judge Graham's sleep the re-
mains of a number of TazewelPs pion-
eer citizens.
Who Built the Old Inn?
The writer of this sketch has gath
cred some facts and data here and
there, and records here what he finds.
The Old Inn was built by Captain
Robert Crockett, great uncle of our
townsman, Il. o. Crockett, the attor-
ney, and close relative of E. X.
Crockett, Charles Crockett and other
present day people Of this community.
The property has changed hands fire.
quently. l.. r. Dodd purchased the
property from MIR. Crockett in Sep
tember, 1870 for $1G50. Dodd sold to
VIM. l.. Watkins. Watkins sold to
A. j. May Jr., in April, $780, MAY
sold to Dr.s Hutford. After DR.. Huff.
ord's death, jeff Hoge and j. w. Moss
bought the property, and Coffee ran
another hotel. Hoge and Moss sold
to j. W. and R. C. Chapman. Chap
man sold to George r. Surface and,
Surface sold to the Methodist church
people, who recently sold to the pres
ent owners, Witten & Steele.
Built SO Years Ago (?)
There is this data as to when the
house was built: John f. Suthers, of
this town, says that he heard his
father, who was a carpeter, say fre-
quently that his first work as u car
penter was done on this building.
Suthers came to Tazewell when he
was Is years old. He died here. Recl
oning back, he worked on this build
ing In the year 1922, which would
make the building now about 94 years
Old. Ihis is the nearest we can come
at 1t and Is evidently about correct.
VINO worked on the building besides
Suthers, or who was the contractor,
cannot be known. Reuben Fudge.
Hufford and perhaps others, were
great brick layers, but this building
was erected before their day.
MIR. Elgin Whitley now about 83
VI oSS, llC WTlLcT inter-
viewed on tuesday, could give no help
along this line. Whoever these men
were they did their work well, as the
present condition of the walls now.
Other Data.
Mr.. NJ. +. Wynn, who has the con-
tract to remove the building, found
brick in the west wall which had the
number 1920 cut into it. If this date
was cut in the brick when it was laid
the budding is 96 years old. So,
there you are. = The date may have
been put in when the brick was made
in the yard.
THE Old Whip Saw.
Mr.. Wynn says that the sills, joist,
ETC., were sawed by old whipsaw and
the laths were ripped out by hand. In
those days there were no saw mills
or brick machines. Mortar for brick
was made by horses tramping and
working it up. Mr.. Elgin Whitley
says, that as boy, he rode horse
many day around in a brick NOR
tar bed, and all the bricks were made
by hand, one at a time.
The nails used in the original con-
struction of the building we're of
wrought iron, made in the blacksmith
shop.
And SO it goes. It is long cry
from those days and methods to the
Dracant