Oconee County Extension Office & 4H Club
P.O. Box 107
Watkinsville, GA  30677
(706) 769-3946
 

Henry Hibbs, County Extension Coordinator
(hhibbs@uga.edu)

Joey Bristol, 4H Program Assistant
(jbristol@uga.edu)

Lauren Healey, 4H Program Assistant
(laureng@uga.edu)

Denise Everson, Family & Consumer Science Agent
(deverson@uga.edu)

Mary Jo Kennedy, County Secretary
(uge1219@uga.edu)

 
For more information on Oconee County 4H,
please visit www.ugaextension.com/oconee

 
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Oconee County Coroner's Office
22 North Main Street, Bldg B
Watkinsville, GA  30677
Phone:  (706) 769-2988
Fax:  (706) 769-2989

 

Ed Carson, Coroner

ecarson@oconee.ga.us

 

The Coroner's office is responsible for investigating any deaths in Oconee County with the exception of Nursing Home and Hospice deaths.

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The Eagle Tavern is one of the earliest surviving structures in Oconee County.  The Eagle Tavern was built before 1801 and possibly as early as 1794 when Watkinsville was a frontier town on the edge of Creek and Cherokee Indian Territories.  It is believed by some that this site was once called Fort Edwards and served as a gathering place for early settlers who needed protection from attacks by the many Creek and Cherokee Indians who flourished in this area. 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, in 1839, 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 it would preserve and restore the historic Eagle Tavern.  A grant by the Governor of Georgia in 1963 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 and the Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism as a Museum and Welcome Center.  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, pottery, 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 and some items can be touched.  We invite you to explore our natural beauty and history.  We welcome your observations and questions.  The taking of photographs is encouraged.  Please be careful as you walk upstairs as the steps are steep and small. In addition to the museum, we have a gift shop that showcases the works of many area artists as well as selling maps of historic sites.  Please sign the guest book before you leave and help yourself to all the free information on the area and the state. Eagle Tavern Museum & Welcome Center P.O. Box 959, Watkinsville, GA  30677 Phone:  (706) 769-5197 Back to Top

Oconee County Collection Sites & Recycling Centers