As
revolutionary war soldiers were given land grants in
Georgia this beautiful lush area near the Indian
frontiers became a small settlement. We do
know that the Eagle Tavern was the first site built
in this town called "Big Springs" later
named Watkinsville.
The
Courthouse (across from the Eagle Tavern) was built
in 1802, in Watkinsville. Watkinsville was the
county seat for Clarke County, which was carved out
of Jackson County. The county seat is
typically the largest county town, but in the case
of Athens and Watkinsville, the former outgrew the
latter in population. By the 1840's and 1850's
there was a clamor for Athens to be the county seat,
but it was not until 1875 that Clarke County was
divided into Clarke and Oconee. Watkinsville
became the county seat for the newly formed Oconee
County.
Watkinsville's
livelihood in the early nineteenth century came not
only from being a courthouse town, where everyone
had to come for certain life necessities such as
marriages, deaths, taxes, jury duty, filing deed and
public services, but it was also a hub for
agricultural trade where cotton farmers and planters
brought their produce. Roads from other nearby
county seats like Greensboro and Madison converged
here and proceeded north to Athens and Gainesville.
These roads brought even more travelers and commerce
to the town.
By
1849, Watkinsville hosted the courthouse and the
jail, two churches, schools, taverns, stores, three
groceries, one billiard room, one carpenter, one
tailor, two blacksmiths, two tanyards, two wagon
makers, one saddler, two shoe shops, two lawyers,
one doctor, and one minister - all with a population
of 240 people.
The
Eagle Tavern served primarily as a stagecoach stop
(hotel and tavern) and gathering place in the early
1800's. By 1827, stages from Milledgeville
passed through Watkinsville three times a week on
the way to Athens and most likely stopped at the
Tavern. Before the railroad was completed,
much of the overland wagon trade also used this
route, and men traveling by wagon, horseback or on
foot could, for the price of a drink, spread their
bedrolls on the "Front Room" floor.
The two upstairs bedrooms were reserved for stage
passengers.
There
are a number of legends that surround the existence
of the Eagle Tavern. Some claim that the
University of Georgia was not established in the
town of Watkinsville because the potential close
proximity of the Eagle Tavern was deemed
inappropriate for an institution of higher
education. Although students were forbidden to
come to the Tavern in Watkinsville (they faced
expulsion if caught), student political gatherings
often took place there. Many who visited the
Eagle Tavern proclaimed it to have "good food,
pure water, and commodious stables."
Still standing on its original site, the infamous
Eagle Tavern remains a "diamond in the
rough" untouched by urban sprawl and modern
times.
Many
travelers stopped at the Eagle Tavern and, by the
1840's,
the need for additional sleeping space resulted in
the addition of 16 rooms to the original
"four-down, four-up" structure of the
Tavern. Stage passengers were given a private
room but often shared beds. Other travelers
slept on bed rolls in the "Public Room."
For 50 pence a traveler received feed for his horse,
a meal, one spirit, and a place to sleep.
Meals at the Eagle Tavern were said to be excellent,
as were the accommodations.
In
1963, the threat of demolition of the Eagle Tavern
became a reality. Lanier Billups, who bought
the property in 1925, later deeded it to the state
in hopes that they would preserve and restore the
historic Eagle Tavern. In 1963, a grant from
the Governor of Georgia provided $25,000.00 to restore
the Eagle tavern and save it from destruction.
It was restored and operated by the Georgia Historic
Commission until 1973. Ownership was
eventually turned over to Oconee County. It is
currently operated and funded by the Oconee County
Board of Commissioners as a museum. Located on the Antebellum Trail, the
museum depicts life and travel lodgings in the early
1800's.
The
furnishings in the Eagle Tavern are authentic pieces
from the early 1800's - hunt boards, chests, tables,
beds and other items - all of which are indicative
of life in the early pioneer days of Georgia.
While browsing through the museum you will see many
unique handmade items not seen in other museums.
In the
front room you will see some items on display that
were found during the first archeological dig in the
early 1960's. Pipes, gold coins, jewelry,
potter, and bone utensils are among the many items
found. More precious artifacts are in the
display case upstairs. As you tour the museum,
imagine how life must have been for travelers during
the early 1800's and look carefully at items you may
have never seen before. Can you identify them?
The
bars under the steps are part of the Tavern's
original structure. In this bar under the
steps you will see old spirit bottles and snuff
containers. In the early days these items were
locked up behind bars at night so as to not tempt
the guests. The term "bar," which
refers to a place for drinking beer and whiskey,
comes from the practice of locking these items
behind bars.
Upstairs
there is one room with authentic beds, coverlets,
and other travel items, all handmade in Georgia in
the early 1800's. The room looks as it might
have for travelers in those early days. The
original primitive loom upstairs was used to make
coverlets and clothing. It is believed to have
come from a home in the area and to have been used
as early as the 1790's. People in rural
Georgia made most of their own clothes, fabrics,
furnishings, pottery and other items they needed to
survive. The Eagle Tavern is a living history
museum with examples of items that tell a story
about life in early rural Georgia. All items
are available for viewing but to preserve them, we
ask that you please not touch. We invite you to explore our natural
beauty and history. We welcome your
observations and questions. Please be careful
as you walk upstairs as the steps are steep and
small.
