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- Early Taverns in Southwest Virignia
| There is nothing which has yet been contrived by man, by which so much happiness has been produced, as by a good tavern or inn. Dr. Samuel Johnson, 1776. There is nothing which has yet been contrived by man, by which so much happiness is produced as by a good tavern or inn; a tavern chair is the throne of human felicity. Dr. Samuel Johnson, 1776
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By 1773 the population of Southwest Virginia became sufficient to require the establishment of "ordinaries" and taverns to serve the needs of travelers, either passing though enroute to the Watauga Settlement to the south, or on local business. Ordinaries provided food and lodging for both the traveler and his horse. Prices were established by court order. Under these rates
- a gallon of "good Madera wine" could be had or 16 shilings,
- whiskey for 6 shillings,
- a Warm diet with small beer for 1 shilling
- Supper 7.5 pence
- Cold dinner 7.5 pence
- Warm breakfast 1 pence
- lodging 1 to a bed, 6 pence
- lodging 2 to a bed, 3 pence each
- Oats or corn, 6 pence per gallon
- Hay, fodder and stablage for a horse, as much as he can eat, 9 pence.
- Source:Kegley and Kegley, 1980 citing Montgomery County Order book 1:33.
Descriptions of Inns and ordinaries in Southwest Virginia are sparse, particularly for the time period. perhaps the following description for ordinaries in New England will convey some idea of what they might have been like:
The accommodations in the public houses of small towns, indeed perhaps everywhere in New England save in Boston and Salem, were very primitive. The ordinary was doubtless as well furnished as the private homes of its neighbors, and that was very simple of fashion, while the fare was scant of variety. We know that even the early ordinaries had signboards. Source:Earle, 1922
Most of the inn's and ordinaries, according to Source:Kegley and Kegley, 1980, were located in the Upper Holston and New River areas. At least one ordinary, that operated by Archilaus Dickenson was located in Castles Woods "at James Smith's Old Place" in the Castle's Woods area.
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