Like tiny general stores or mills that dotted rural the American landscape in the 18th and 19th centuries—before the advent of malls and shopping centers—taverns were a common sight. Situated on thoroughfare country roads and in towns and villages, taverns were the gathering places for weary travelers and locals alike.
More importantly, these weren’t just a place to eat, sleep, drink, and get warm. Taverns were places to catch up on politics, news, social activities, and much more. Visitors with musical talent on instruments like a fife, fiddle, or dulcimer regularly played at taverns, too.
A Revolutionary War Era Tavern
One restored and well-preserved tavern, named for its original owner and operator, William Michie, has a history rich of fellowship, music, and good food.Michie Tavern is located in Charlottesville, Virginia, less than a mile from one of the country’s most famous historic homes, Monticello, residence of the third U.S. president, Thomas Jefferson. Surrounded by mature trees and rolling hills, with pastoral scenes and vast farms for miles in either direction, Michie Tavern is designated a Virginia Historic Landmark.
Michie (pronounced Mickey) was a corporal in the Revolutionary War and fought at the famous 1777 Battle of Valley Forge in Pennsylvania. In fact, he was at Valley Forge when he was summoned home due to the death of his father, who left a large tract of land to his son. Located in Albemarle County, Virginia, in sight of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the land was well traversed and a favorite with hunters. To capitalize on the influx of visitors, Michie decided in 1884 to open what was then sometimes referred to as an Ordinary, a place open to the public for food and drink.
But most people called Michie’s Ordinary a tavern, and it was especially popular at “public times,” the periods leading up to and during elections. During the Revolutionary War, Michie had signed the Albemarle Declaration of Independence and was known to welcome political discussions and debates within the second-floor “assembly room” of his establishment.
In fact, according to Michie Tavern historical information, the assembly room served multiple purposes:
“It was large enough for dances and church services. Traveling magicians, itinerant doctors, and dentists would have shared their profits with the innkeeper for the use of this space. Michie Tavern would also serve as a makeshift post office and school.”
Today, visitors can take a self-guided tour of the tavern, which was moved 17 miles from its original site in the early 1900s due to deterioration and loss of patronage; the original site had become remote due to the establishment of roads in other areas. A 15-year old named Arthur Stubbs made detailed illustrations documenting the 1927 moving of the tavern, which taken down in numbered pieces and reassembled in at its current site on the Thomas Jefferson Parkway. At the time, moving the tavern was big news in Albemarle County. It garnered newspaper articles and large gatherings.
Inside one part of the tavern is an opportunity to dine on traditional 18th-century bill of fare: country ham biscuits, stewed tomatoes, fried chicken, or whole baby beets. Ciders, ales, lagers, and regional wines are also available.
However, for history enthusiasts, the most interesting aspect of visiting Michie Tavern is to step inside the tavern’s rooms and observe the aged hardware, doors, floors, and tables and imagine what they have “seen.” Michie Tavern also has a unique candle cupboard that held the pewter candle holders when they were not adorning individual tables, as well as a storage cellar and cupboard. Both held items needed to operate the tavern: candles, baskets, bottles, bowls, and tin lanterns.
Michie Tavern is part museum and part living history experience, and it’s worth the stop on the way to or from Monticello or nearby James Monroe’s Highland and James Madison’s Montpelier. Stepping inside the tavern provides a glimpse into what it might have been like to live when our nation was being birthed.
