University of Virginia Library

The Old Swan Tavern.

The historic old Swan Tavern was
built before the Revolutionary War
by John Jewett. The only person I
have found who remembers the old
home, is my friend Mr. R. Henry
Carr, now eighty-three years of age,
but who has a wonderful memory,
and can off-hand give the date of birth
of every king and queen of England,

and the date of any historic event in
American history. He says that the
building was of wood, with double
porches across the entire front and
dormer windows, exactly in the style
of the Old Eagle Tavern. The tavern
had a large picture of a swan for a
sign, after the style of English taverns.

It is now imposible to learn the exact
date of its erection, for Tarleton's
Dragoons destroyed all records in the
clerk's office when they made their
raid on Charlottesville in 1781.

From Rev. Edgar Wood's History
of Albemarle, I find that John Jewett
(who was probably the son of Matthew
Jewett) in 1773 purchased from John
Moore one hundred acres of land adjoining
the town of Charlottesville on
the east and north of it, and probably
built the Swan Tavern at that time.
In 1780 he laid out High Street, with
a row of lots on both sides, and by act
of the Legislature they were vested in
"Trustees" to be sold at auction after
giving three weeks notice in the Virginia
Gazette.

John Jewett kept the "Swan" until
his death in 1802, and he is probably
buried in the lot upon which the tavern
stood. This is lot No. 58 on the
town plot, and is the one on which
the Levy Opera House and the Red
Land club now stand. John Jewett,
Jr., second son of John Jewett, Sr.,
succeeded his father as proprietor of
the "Swan," but at what time he
gave it up I have no means of ascertaining.
My friend Mr. Carr, tells me
it was abandoned, and when he saw it,
it was in a ruinious condition. I am
also told that after its abandonment a
boy wandered into the house, and
was horrified to find a dead body in
one of the rooms, which seems to
have been put there by some of the
young physicians of the town for the
purpose of dissection. The property
was finally purchased by either James
or Samuel Leitch, who erected the
house now owned by the Red Land
Club.

John Jewett, Sr., married Mourning
Harris, of Albemarle county, and
a great-great aunt of Captain Micajah
Woods. The youngest son, Charles,
became a member of the old Door to
Virtue Lodge No. 44 in 1798. "Old
Jack" was the man who was at Louisa
Court House when Tarleton and
his dragoons, two hundred strong,
passed that place on their way to
Charlottesville to capture Governor
Jefferson and the Virginia Legislature,
which had fled from Richmond to
Charlottesville.

By taking a near cut, and from Tarleton's
having stopped at Castle Hill
for dinner, Jewett got here shortly before
the British, and gave notice to
the Legislature, which did not "stand
on the order of going," but fled to
Staunton.

At Milton Jewett met a friend on
horseback, and sent him to warn Mr.
Jefferson. An effort was made many
years ago to place a monument over
Jewett's grave, but it failed of its purpose
and now the spot has been lost.
I shall digress at this point to put on
record a fact that has never appeared
in print, and which I got from a great
grandson of Mr. Jefferson. When
Jewett's friend arrived at Monticello
and told Mr. Jefferson Tarleton was
coming, he at once ordered his carriage,
put his family in it, and sent
them off to Blenheim, then gave
orders to his two house servants, John
and Caesar, to conceal his papers and
valuables, and mounted his horse and
went down to the blacksmith shop,
which stood on the south side of the
road just opposite to the gate.

From there he rode up on Snead's
Mountain with his "telescope," and
from this elevated position looked
down on Charlottesville. Seeing no
red coats, he mounted his horse and
started back to the shop, but before he
had gone far he found that he had
dropped his sword (all citizens wore
dress swords in that day).

He went back up the mountain,
found his sword, and was about to
start back, when he took one more look
over the town. He not only found
the streets full of red coats, but a detachment
coming rapidly up the
mountain. He at once rode over Carter's
Mountain, then went down to
Blenheim, took his family, and went
to Amherst. But for dropping his
sword, history would probably have
been different.

SENEX.

Skill to do comes by doing; knowledge
comes by eyes always open and
working hands; and there is no knowledge
that is not power.—Nannie Reed
Wilson.