Old Charlottesville.
CHARLOTTESVILLE as I remember
it as a child was Court
House Square. I remember the
old Eagle Tavern stood where
the Colonial now is. It was a
wooden building, with a lower and
upper porch, and a bell hung at one
corner of the upper porch, which
sounded when meals were ready. Just
in front of the tavern was Number
Nothing, now occupied by Mr. Goodwin.
Across the street east of the tavern
was Mr. LeShort's jewelry store.
He was Mr. Jefferson's jeweler and
highly esteemed by him. His widow
was afterwards a partner of B. C.
Flannagan. Mr. LeShorts and his
wife were Swiss, and the name is pronounced
Leskore. Mrs. LeShorts' niece,
Marion Montandon, married Maj. G.
T. Jones, who sold the Cochran property
to Judge S. L. Cochran, on West
Main Street. Col. John R. Jones kept
a dry goods store about where Edmonds
and Co.'s store now is. His daughter,
Mrs. Hill, is the oldest born citizen now
living in Charlottesville. His son,
Gen'l T. R. Jones, was a distinguished
Confederate officer, and was at one
time Commandant at West Point. Another
son, Mr. Thomas Jones, was
killed in a duel with Dr. Garnet, of
Hot Springs, during the war. He
was the grandfather of the Rev. J.
Wm. Jones. Where the old "Young
Sam Leitch House" now stands (lately
sold to the Redlands Club) was the old
Swan Tavern. Kenneday, in his
"Horse Shoe Robertson" novel, begins
by introducing two horsemen crossing
Rockfish Gap, who stopped at the old
Swan Tavern, Charlottesville. They
are George Washington and Peter
Francisco. Barrett and McIntire kept
a store on the Square. Twyman Wayt
was postmaster, and the postoffice was
situated at the east end of what is
now known as the McCue row. William
Davis, who is inventor of the
present Postal Car Service, late of St.
Joseph, Mo., was a clerk in Mr. Wayt's
office. Wash. Childs was jailor. The
writer sat up with him the night before
he died. His maiden sister, Miss
Nancy Childs, left a house to her colored
servant Margaret Childs, which
was taken down to open the present
entrance to the jail. Matthews, the
jeweler, who has descendents in the
southern part of the county, kept store
in the same place as LeShort. John
Cochran, Sr., kept store where Rhoads
and Kurtz now have their saloon, and
he lived in the house now occupied by
the children of Mr. R. K. Flannagan.
The Farmers and Merchants
Bank, Wm. A. Bibb cashier, was located
[ILLUSTRATION]
THE ANCIENT COURT HOUSE, ERECTED 1803.
in the brick house just north of
the old post-office, and west of the present
station house. The old jail was
just north of the station house. John
Garner, the only barber of the town,
kept shop in a very small wooden
building just east of Number Nothing.
My old friend, Bob Cogbill, served his
time under John Garner. Where the
City Hall now stands, was the old-fashioned
residence of David Fowler,
the grandfather of my friend Whack
Fowler. Where the store room recently
occupied by Mr. Eldridge Turner now
stands, was a house occupied by Mr.
Points. In the basement of this building
facing west, Mr. Perley, father of
James Perley, had a furniture store.
At the corner now occupied by the
building in which the Wills Drug Co.
has its store, stood Dodd's, furniture
shop. Mr. James Perley served his
time under him. Another old landmark
is what was known as the Shingled
Palace. It is the home now occupied
by Mr. Rice Burnley as a harness
store. Here was born the oldest born
citizen of Charlottesville, an old colored
man named Kinny, who was ninety-three
years old last Christmas eve, and
has been an employee of the C. & O. R.
R. ever since Montcure Robertson, its
first president, was in office. There
are several houses which are recalled
by these reminiscences, but they have
all been removed. The store of John
and Ben Mosby, which stood about
where J. D. Watson's store is now located,
and Aunt Nancy Isaacs ginger
bread store, which stood about where
the Cable piano store now stands, were
two of these. In the spot where H.
Balz and Sons now keep store, my old
great uncle, Tom O'Grady, kept his
store, and owned about one-half of the
square between 2nd and 3rd streets, E.
He was one of the most original characters
Charlottesville ever produced,
and I hope to give some account of
him later. Ebenezer Watts owned
and occupied the old fashioned building
which stood where the Hartnagle
Building now stands. The old Tom
Jones Building which stood where T.
J. Wills and Co. now have their store,
was for many years a landmark.
Jessie Scott's house stood where the
old postoffice now stands. Jessie
and his boys, Bob and Jim, were the
musicians of Charlottesville and Albemarle
for many years. They were
highly respected by all the old Albemarle
families.
