Eagle Tavern (Halifax, North Carolina)

Eagle Tavern
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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Location	Main St., Halifax, North Carolina
Coordinates	36°19′47″N77°35′20″W / 36.32972°N 77.58889°W / 36.32972; -77.58889
Area	less than one acre
NRHP reference No.	73001349 [1]
Added to NRHP	April 24, 1973

The Eagle Tavern is a historic tavern built in the 1790s in Halifax, Halifax County, North Carolina. The tavern (known as the "Eagle Hotel" in the 1820s) served as an overnight stop for the official traveling party during the visit of the Marquis de Lafayette to the United States. ^[2] The tavern is demarcated as "E-68" on the North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program. ^[3] It is a two-story, pedimented, T-shaped tripartite frame building. Previously located on the lot next to the Church of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church at 145 South King Street in Halifax, the Eagle Tavern was donated to the Catholic Diocese of Raleigh in the 1963 will of Nanny Gary, a great granddaughter of Michael Ferrall, who then lived in the Eagle Tavern. After accepting the gift from Nanny Gary’s estate, the Diocese determined that it was not feasible to use the Ferrall house (Eagle Tavern) for charitable or religious purposes. The house was then conveyed to the Historic Halifax Restoration Association and the house was moved up King Street in the 1970s to the location of the Halifax Visitors Center where it was restored and interpreted as a museum in the style of the “Eagle Tavern”. ^{[4] [5]}

History

According to local tradition, George Washington stayed at the tavern while surveying the Dismal Swamp Canal. William Hooper also supposedly lived there for a time. ^[6] When Willie Jones declined the opportunity to host Washington during his visit in 1791, Washington again stayed at the tavern, hosted by John Ashe. ^[7]

The Marquis de Lafayette stayed at the tavern when he visited Halifax on February 27, 1825 during his travel through the United States, ^[2] and a banquet was held at the tavern in his honor. ^[8] The banquet was hosted by Richard Eppes ^[9] and John Branch. ^[10]

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. ^[1]

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. "Lafayette's Visit | NCpedia". ncpedia.org. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
3. "NC Markers". Archived from the original on October 8, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
4. Survey and Planning Unit Staff (March 1973). "Eagle Tavern" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory. North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
5. "Michael Ferrall Papers, 1818-1960". finding-aids.lib.unc.edu. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
6. North Carolina, a Guide to the Old North State,. 1939. p. 280. ISBN   978-1-62376-032-8.
7. Halifax Heritage: Historical and Traditional Sketches of Halifax County. Roanoke News Company. 1976. p. 45.
8. Marchi, Dudley M. (November 12, 2021). The French Heritage of North Carolina. McFarland. p. 144. ISBN   978-1-4766-8543-4.
9. Dorman, John Frederick (2004). Descendants of Francis Eppes I of Virginia. Society of the Descendants of Francis Eppes I of Virginia. pp. Volume 3, Appendix F.
10. Halifax Heritage: Historical and Traditional Sketches of Halifax County. Roanoke News Company. 1976. p. 64.