The Malty Chronicle of Beer in the Old Dominion
When American colonists landed in Virginia beer was brewed using corn, a technique possibly learned from the natives. Grapes were also planted in hopes of producing a commercial product that could be shipped back to England.

Alas, the wine was plonk. No manner of effort produced a quality and sustainable wine industry in the Commonwealth until the 1970s.

Thus, beer, cider, and hard alcohol became the everyday drink of our forefathers. Perhaps to their detriment. Colonial Americans drank about three times the amount of alcohol we do today.

Not only was it supposedly safer than hydrating on bacteria-filled water it also served as an early medicine cabinet to treat all manner of pain and emotional disorders. At least temporarily.

Thomas Jefferson noted the danger in hard liquor when he wrote, “No nation is drunken where wine is cheap, and none sober where the dearness of wine substitutes ardent spirits as the common beverage. It is, in truth, the only antidote to the bane of whiskey.”

The Sage of Monticello would have also placed beer in the preferred category but his patrician tastes favored wine.

But the reality behind “water is safer” is a myth. Water was cheaper than beer and the location of settlements and towns was predicated on the availability of safe and plentiful water supplies.

Nonetheless, Virginians have always loved to hoist a glass of suds and the practice has endured for over 400 years. And not because it was a safer drink. It simply tasted better than water and had the delightful side effect of easing worry, strain and a host of other maladies.

Today beer consumption in Virginia is more popular than ever.

The dawn of brew
Beer has been brewed for over 7,000 years. Early producers hailed from Iran, Egypt, and Mesopotamia and spread worldwide from there. Since any grain containing sugars can be fermented, it’s likely a spontaneous fermentation caused by wild yeasts created the first brew.

In an unrecorded moment in libation history, one of our ancestors likely sipped a handful of naturally fermented beer from a stone bowl and fell in love with its malty flavor. He also may have wondered, “How did that happen?”

Searching for the answer was a quest of passion and resulted in one of the oldest of alcoholic drinks.
By the Middle Ages beer was one of the commonest of libations. It was consumed year-round by rich and poor alike. And as in Virginia is was widely brewed where wine grapes did not thrive.
Nonetheless, it was not universally approved of.

In 1256, the Aldobrandino of Siena opined that beer, “harms the head and the stomach, it causes bad breath and ruins the teeth, it fills the stomach with bad fumes, and as a result anyone who drinks it along with wine becomes drunk quickly; but it does have the property of facilitating urination and makes one’s flesh white and smooth.”

Hmmm…a seemingly a mixed bag.

But the long road to commercial beer success is now tasty history. In 2017, over 51 billion gallons of beer were produced globally. Our forefathers would be impressed.

Commonwealth growth
As farming became established in Virginia wheat and barley helped propel beer into the most popular of libations. Alehouses, taverns, and plantations everywhere produced and served both beer and whiskey.

Beer, however, was the everyday go to drink and in a nod to the gentler sex, it was women who often were the brewers.

This task was seen as integral to women’s role in caring for and feeding her family.
Over the decades Richmond emerged as the state’s brewing center. From the late 1700s onward the state capitol developed a rich history of beer production. The Civil War slowed the industry as the South shifted to a war footing. Then in 1916, Virginia went dry; three years before Prohibition became the law of the land.

One unique aspect of Richmond’s brewing past are the beer caves at Rocketts Landing.
Originally part of the James River Steam Brewery, the cave system was built in 1868 to provide cool storage temperatures but the combination of advancements in refrigeration and the financial crisis of 1873 conspired to force the closing of the brewery.

Today you can peek into the caves but there is little to see since they are blocked by a chain link fence. They are located 4920 Old Main Street and present a fun—albeit brief—glimpse into yesteryear’s world of cold storage.

With the repeal of the Volstead Act in 1933, alcohol was back in bars and homes. But beer production was limited to a paltry 3.2% alcohol discouraging many brewers who were constrained from producing interesting and quality beers.

From the 1930s on beer in Virginia was largely provided by a decreasing number of national breweries producing what some felt was a good cold glass of sparkling water. “This Bud’s for you”, was popular largely because it was an easy sipper. Beer drinkers did not have access to richer, more flavorful options.

Then in the late 1980s craft brewers began to stir. Why?

In 1979 a Federal law was passed permitting brewing at home. States vary on exactly how much is allowed; in Virginia, it’s 200 gallons annually for a two-adult household. That’s about 2,000 bottles. But please, don’t go there unless you’re sharing.

With such dramatic growth in the hobby many nascent brewers began to slowly realize, “Hey, my stuff tastes pretty good. Maybe I should go commercial,” which they did in droves resulting in today’s commercial craft beer explosion.

It’s a classic example of free enterprise coupled with an entrepreneurial spirit being unleashed by market opportunity.

In 1980 there were 80 craft breweries in the United States. Today, 7,000 dot our sudsy landscape. Even small towns and villages often sport a wee brewhouse where locals gather to quaff artisan beer.
There’s never been a better time to hoist flavorful brews that are the polar opposite of the watery libations that have dominated our domestic beer world for decades.

Virginia’s role in the national explosion of craft beer parallels the Nation’s.

Virginia ascendency
The opening of a few state craft breweries in the late 1990s was initially seen as a fad that wouldn’t catch traction and fade quickly. What wasn’t consider was how delicious artisanal beer was compared to its with mass-produced cousins.

Both wholesalers and retailers, however, took little interest in the product, believing it was too bold and of marginal quality. True enough, craft beer would take some adjustment for a palate raised on weak flavors and low alcohol. But the quality was consistently good.

What was not factored into the dismissal of the newbie beer was the passion and dedication of the mostly young brewers leading the craft beer charge.

However, without access to distribution channels offered by wholesaler’s craft brewers had to get crafty.

Mark Thompson, president and brewmaster at The Brewing Tree Beer Company in Afton, describes the solution in the Spring 2019 Virginia Craft Beer magazine, stating, “Things began to change in the early 2000s when a couple of craft brewers chose to start their own distributorships who sold only their breweries beer.”

Soon enough the wholesalers began to take notice and started adding craft brew to their portfolios. The engine of change had been ignited. Today there are over 236 breweries in Virginia producing 405,465 barrels of craft beer annually.

So, what’s the future of craft beer in Virginia?

Given the success in utilizing wholesalers to move its product, small breweries will increasingly have limited access to the big boy’s distribution system. There are simply too many beers are out there today to find a home in wholesalers’ warehouses.

What more likely will occur is a shift back to smaller brewery production where beer will be sold only in taprooms absent a third-party distributor.

If so, that would be good news for consumers who would develop closer relationships with their neighborhood brewhouse and be treated like the prize customers they’d become.

And that’s a sudsy future we’ll hoist our glass to.

For a list of Virginia breweries for use in navigating Virginia’s Hopland, drop by
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_breweries_in_Virginia

Published in the Summer 2019 edition of Dine Wine & Stein magazine.

Delaplane couple blend green passion with expertise

It’s interesting how some careers progress on multiple fronts and in a lightning flash fuse into a single objective. It might be called a “Boom” moment.

Such a scenario is unfolding on a farm in Delaplane that’s managed by two young realists with idealist’s passions. It’s a yin and yang approach that seeks to balance their lives and the land they’re working on.

Meet Kelly Allen, 30, and Andrew Napier, 34, who are personal and business partners that have turned to the land to nurture themselves and a variety of in-demand crops.

It’s a story millions of Americans dream about. Locked in cubicles behind blue-hazed monitors and connected to their hearthside by hours of bumper to bumper traffic legions of worker bees fantasize about casting it all aside and embracing a more nature-like existence.

Allen and Napier took the plunge and made it happen but spent years, perhaps unknowingly, positioning themselves to enter their new world. It might be called serendipitous coalescing.

Education & experience
“I graduated from Goddard College in Vermont with a degree in sustainable agriculture. I worked for (widely known and respected) Doug Fabbioli at his winery in Leesburg. I then spent some time in AmeriCorps teaching sustainable agriculture to tribal students near Santa Fe.

“Today I’m working in wine distribution throughout western Northern Virginia. So, my background is split between production and distribution,” explains Kelly Allen.

Andrew Napier says, “My introduction to wine was working in restaurants. I very quickly became the wine buyer for a couple of restaurants and that got me deeper into the industry.

“I then got a job working for Jim law at Linden Vineyards for two years where I learned a lot about grape growing and winemaking (Law is one of the most respected viticulturists and winemakers on the East Coast).

“From there I worked for The Whole Ox in Marshall and learned about sustainable butchery.”

The young couple was in the process of earning their bona fides. The “Boom” moment came after they had forged a personal relationship with each other as a result of their similar careers.

While working at The Whole Ox Napier developed connections with many people in the local community. One couple, David and Patricia Vos, had recently purchased land contiguous to their horse farm in Delaplane where Miracle Valley Vineyards had been located. The winery closed in May of this year.

Linking up with the Vos’s was fortuitous as evidenced by the established couple’s Facebook Foundation page mission statement: “To ensure the diversity of life on earth, by planting billions of trees to restore environmental balance, support imperiled populations, and advance thoughtful advocacy.”

Hmmm…sounds like a connection to sustainable agriculture.

Enter Allen and Napier.

Farm vision
Team Vos, Allen & Napier was thus created. On June 30 the couple moved to the farm and commenced a rebirth and expansion of agricultural products on the productive land.

The first task at hand is reviving the eight-acre vineyard that had been planted but not fully maintained by the former winery.

The vineyard has eight grape varietals and its restoration is job number one in a long-term farming expansion the couple will engage in over the next several years. Since there is a grape shortage in Virginia contracts will be established to sell a portion of the viable fruit this fall.

Removing and replanting some of the other vines will dictate waiting a few years before subsequent fruit is marketable.

Given their interest in sustainable agriculture, the long-term goal is to reduce the application of chemical sprays as much as possible. Such a goal must be balanced with the reality of growing the Eurasian grape species, known as Vitis vinifera, in Virginia.

The heat, humidity, fungus and insect depredation visited upon these delicate vines is relentless.

“Because the vineyard has seen some neglect it would not be in our best interest to try and grow the grapes without some chemical application. They are not healthy enough to support that kind of biosystem.

“Right now, we are using integrated pest management or IPM,” said Napier. It allows for slowly reducing the level of spraying.

IPM is an ecosystem-based strategy that focuses on long-term prevention of pests and their damage through a combination of techniques such as biological control, habitat manipulation, modification of cultural practices, and use of resistant varieties.

Pesticides are used only after monitoring indicates they are needed according to established guidelines, and treatments are made to remove only the target organism.

“We are undertaking a two-step approach. First, we must create a healthy microsystem and then plant grapes that are more appropriate to the area where they’re growing,” said Napier.

Given Virginia’s wine grape shortage, restoration of a healthy vineyard will produce a viable economic return while simultaneously aiding the wine industry by producing more high-quality grapes.

As the vineyard is brought under control additional agriculture products will be grown. “We’ll incorporate other cash crops as we go adding a layer of security to our business in the future.

“Mushrooms, culinary herbs, garlic, lavender and other things that we know will generate security will be planted,” said Allen.

Kickstarter
As with all thing’s commercial, investment drives success. Allen & Napier are embracing a funding source called Kickstarter to assist the farm’s goals and help them thrive in the years ahead.

Kickstarter is a funding platform where creators can share and gather interest on a particular creative project they’d like to launch. It’s entirely driven by crowdfunding, meaning that the general public and their financial support helps the projects being promoted.

For those who would like to assist the efforts of these two young and passionate farmers the couple’ Kickstarter page will go live in a few weeks.

You can support them at https://www.kickstarter.com/profile/artemisiafarm. Or write directly to contact@artemisisfarm.com

In summing up how she and Napier are embracing their new lifestyle, Allen says, “Everything we do, on and off the vineyard, is all about play. Life is short. It’s meant to be enjoyed.”

Published in the August 14, 2019 edition of the Fauquier Times.

Three Days in the Northern Piedmont

Magical might best describe Virginia. Arguably no state possesses a more graceful landscape and rich storied past. The Commonwealth is a cornucopia of life’s finer pleasures.

When traveling countries as divergent as British Columbia and Ireland, my wife and I have encountered comments from the locals such as, “You’re from Virginia? It’s so beautiful there!”

How did they know? Everyone does.

The Blue Ridge Mountains. The Shenandoah Valley. The Chesapeake Bay. The Piedmont region. The landscape is legendary.

The beauty of the Northern Piedmont springs from its rolling, lush landscapes, dense forests, open farmland, and sparkling streams. All backdropped by the famed Blue Ridge.

This is the region we call home. Specifically, it encompasses Fauquier and Rappahannock counties. To highlight its popularity over 1.5 million motorists visit the Shenandoah National Park each year.

But there is so much more to see than just the sweeping views from Skyline Drive. Join us as we take a three-day tour of select lodging, restaurants, historical venues, shops, social lubricant establishments and more.

Let’s create some memories.

Fauquier County
From whatever direction you enter Fauquier County you will intuitively know relaxation awaits. For starters, there are 26 wineries, four breweries and two meaderies scattered over its 651 square miles.

But the libation cornucopia must wait until later in the day. Our first stop is the county seat, Warrenton. The historical area on Main Street is where we’ll head first. Specifically, the Old Jail.

The original four-cell jail was built in 1808 and converted into a house for the jailer when a larger hoosegow was built to the rear of it in 1823. As you enter the jail the “warden” or more accurately, docent, will give you a brief overview of the building’s history then set you off for a self-guided tour of the two-story structure.

What you will experience is one of the most well-preserved old jails in the state. To roam the second floor and see prisoner cells as they existed in the past will reinforce why breaking bad in the good old days came with a high price tag; cramped discomfort.

The jail’s museum includes a collection of artifacts representing the county’s history from Native Americans, to the Revolutionary War, Civil War, and World War II eras. The exploits of local Confederate legend, Colonel John S. Mosby, or the “The Gray Ghost, is also highlighted. Mosby was known for his lightning-quick raids and ability to elude Union Army pursuers.

The 45-minute tour costs $10 for adults and $5 for children under twelve. The museum is closed on Tuesdays.

Having served your “sentence”, you will be paroled to explore the four block Old Town district. Numerous shops will beckon as you casually stroll south down the right side of Main Street and back up the left.

Along the way, you will pass gift shops, jewelers, art shops, a bakery, a bike shop, and restaurants among other quaint boutiques. Since midday hunger pangs will be starting to stir consider dining at either Denim & Pearls, the Black Bear Bistro or Molly’s Irish Pub.

After lunch head back to the car and drive east on Route 29 for nine miles to Vint Hill, a “suburb” of Warrenton, to visit the Cold War Museum. Founded in 1996 by Francis Gary Powers Jr., the son of legendary U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers, the museum preserves and honors Cold War veterans.

The museum has over $3 million worth of artifacts in its collections. Holdings include items from the Berlin Airlift, the suitcase Gary Powers carried when he was exchanged for Rudolf Abel, a 5,000-square-foot display on the Cuban Missile Crisis, Soviet and American Nike missiles and spy satellites.

It also has the largest collection of civil defense items in America. A donation of $10 is requested part of which can go to the purchase of items from its gift shop.

As you leave the museum consider stopping by Old Bust Head Brewery for a cold draft. It’s just a two-minute drive and an ideal winding down spot to end your day’s sightseeing.

Strapped back in your chariot your lodging destination for the day is, Airlie, a short five-mile drive back west on Route 29.

The original estate was built in 1899 by Philadelphia native Harry C. Groome who named it after a castle in Scotland. The home was destroyed by fire in 1924 and Groome rebuilt it on its original foundation.

In 1956 a new owner transformed the property into one of the first conference facilities in the country. Today Airlie offers a variety of value-added packages for couples and business groups including farm-to-table dinners, special amenities and more.

With onsite dining available you’ll be tempted to call it a day at this luxurious estate resort. But if your “explorer genes” are still humming, freshen up and head back into Warrenton for the 10-minute drive to Claire’s at the Depot in the historic district.

The dining establishment is considered one of the best in Fauquier County. Its setting is elegantly casual and no less a restaurant critic than The Washington Post’s Tom Sietsema said, “…the restaurant is in a former train depot and is a charmer.”

The charm includes dinners such as Atlantic salmon, sea scallops, blackened scallops, veal scallopini, double stuffed pork chops, farmed raised half chicken, char-grilled steaks and more. Its discerning wine list will not disappoint.

It’s been voted the “Best of Warrenton” for seven out of the last eight years.

After dinner, you might be tempted to drop in at Wort Hog Brewing Company diagonally across the street from Claire’s for a sudsy nightcap.

But then again, maybe we shouldn’t push it. Your call. A luxurious room at Airlie awaits.

Rappahannock County
A leisurely morning breakfast at Airlie will start the second day of your adventure. Drive back through Warrenton on Broadview Avenue and turn right onto Route 211 west. You are about to enter one of the most unique counties in the country 11 miles distant.

Rappahannock County is sparsely settled with a population of 7,300. That’s some 2,500 fewer souls than in 1850. It has no stoplights, no shopping malls, no fast food restaurants and gives new meaning to the words “laid back”.

What it does possess is beauty in abundance. As you drive west into the county you will be traveling on the Skyline Wine Trail. You won’t need hiking boots to explore this trail later in the day.

The trail encompasses nine wineries, two breweries, one meadery, one distillery, eight restaurants, 13 lodging establishments, and 14 shops and galleries scattered like diamonds on a rolling landscape of verdant fields and dense forests.

Our destination this morning is the town of Little Washington. A precocious 17 year-surveyor laid out the town’s 51 half acre plats in 1749. His name was George Washington. Today, the town has about the same number of home sites. Growth is not embraced in Rappahannock.

As you enter the village head to the post office that is located diagonally across from the famed Inn at Little Washington. There is parking behind the post office that will set you free to roam the village’s jewelry, art, and antique shops and to explore the historical Gay Street area.

As lunchtime approaches slide behind the steering wheel and travel west to the intersections of Route 211 and Route 522 and go north three miles to the Griffin Tavern located in the even smaller village of Flint Hill.

A selection of draft beers and quality wines make for a nice companion to a lunch of fish and chips, a local favorite. But the menu has depth so take your time in ordering.

If you elect to sit in the bar, you may be pulled into the friendly conversation as the bartender, ensconced in a rectangular bar at the center of the room, takes orders and links one conversation with another. Yes, it’s as fun as visiting a British pub whose ambiance it replicates.

With lunch over the “Rappahannock Dilemma” emerges, where to go next? Perhaps the best answer is to have no agenda but simply cruise the backcountry roads of this bucolic region, snapping photos and banking memories.

With the Skyline Wine Trail to fall back on, there will be ample opportunity to secure a glass of afternoon wine or draft beer. Even a tour of Copper Fox Distillery in Sperryville is a distinct possibility. You’ve got an imagination so be sure use it.

As late afternoon settles on the region it’s time to check into the night’s lodging. Here again, you will have been forced to make some decisions in planning your trip. The Inn at Little Washington is without a doubt the center of dining and lodging attention in both the county and the Nation. Even worldwide.

In over four decades it has risen to the pinnacle of a dining and lodging destination. Owner and Chef Patrick O’Connell seemingly has no more room in his figurative “trophy room” for more awards. He’s won them all, including his third Michelin star that he scored last year.

Unfortunately, if you both stay and dine at the Inn you need considerable lead time in making reservations…and deep pockets. A typical dinner could run $600 per couple. Spring for an expensive bottle from its legendary wine cellar and you’ll be in need of a loan officer. And the room? Ahem, let’s move on.

Perhaps it’s best to save a stay at The Inn for a seriously special occasion. But not to worry, the village has several high-quality bed and breakfasts and tonight you’ll be staying at Foster Harris House, about three blocks west of The Inn.

At Foster Harris, guests indulge in the luxurious feel of a five-diamond resort surrounded by the irresistible charm of an intimate, historic home. After you settle in and take a rest head back out to Flint Hill for dinner at The Blue Door.

The restaurant is new having opened two years ago. But its owners brought their dining bona fides from Northern Virginia where they ran the acclaimed Villa Mozart.

The menu fuses old world Italian cuisine with modern technique and flair and includes slow-cooked sauces and handmade pastas and pastries. Prices are moderate.

On your return visit to Rappahannock County—and yes, you will be back—consider dining at the newest upscale dining spot The Three Blacksmiths in the village of Sperryville. Accolades have poured in since its opening so reservations can be a bit difficult to secure. But don’t give up. It’s worth the wait.

If it’s a clear night, after dinner as you drive back to the Foster Harris House to bed down, take note of the starry sky. Another Rappahannock treat is its night skies, a prized benefit of traveling in a lightly populated region.

After a night of Rappahannock dreaming, you’ll awake to the aroma of a four-course gourmet breakfast being prepared by your hosts. We hope you left some room in the tummy from last night’s repast.

As you bid adieu to your hosts, your final day in northern Piedmont is all yours. By now you’ve gotten a feel for the delights available countywide. Pick your options carefully because this final day will fly by faster than a county Red-tailed Hawk.

As you set course for home in the afternoon, the one downside of spending three days in the northern Piedmont becomes comes increasingly apparent. You don’t want to leave.

But fear not, your return is a given. It takes more than one excursion to embrace all the delights of Fauquier and Rappahannock counties.

Safe journey.

Published in the June-July 2019 edition of Dine Wine & Stein magazine. 

The storied past of Virginia’s inns, taverns & ordinaries

As he travelled through Williamsburg in 1765, J.F.D. Smyth made this frank assessment, “There is no distinction here between inns, taverns, ordinaries and public houses…they are all in one. They are all very indifferent indeed compared to the inns in England.”

Well…excuse me.

But consider Mr. Smyth was travelling on horseback over 250 years ago through a rough and tumble pre-Virginia landscape. The Commonwealth wouldn’t be founded for another 23 years.

The mere availability of a night’s lodging was much preferred to tossing a cape on the cold ground for a restless—and potentially dangerous—night in the open.

England sought commercial success in its colonies and established court ordered requirements that public houses be established in every community. The cost of such lodging was under the strict guardianship of the government.

Moreover, the British needed to generate revenue and manpower from their colony to fund ongoing military and high seas ventures. But it was difficult to get unpaid citizen volunteers to drop their plows and axes and show up for regular militia training.

The secret to producing fighters? Provide free ale if they agreed to appear at designated public houses for maneuvers. Soon enough well-trained soldiers were at the King’s disposal not to mention a growing cadre of experienced brewers.

Unfortunately, a few decades into the future the Crown’s trained men would become its bitter enemies as the American revolution took hold.

But as either travelers or men under arms, a warm and hospitable place to meet, drink, dine and sleep was pivotal to the economic growth of the nascent Nation.

As a further control on travel and trade, early on only two licenses per town were permitted by the Brits for an establishment providing lodging and food for the general public. Decades later hundreds of such places dotted the colonies’ post roads.

Licenses were typically awarded to the wealthy and influential. Think yesteryear’s Conrad Hilton and friends.

Warm and comfy or…
Taverns in Virginia closely mirrored the ordinaries of mother England. The proximity to the frontier, however, dictated the establishments be used for multiple purposes such as trading posts for families headed over the mountains.

The earliest dwellings were often a story and a half log cabin. The ground floor was for public use and the upper level for bedrooms. It was not uncommon for two or more strangers to be compelled to sleep in the same bed. And fresh sheets? Not often.

As the decades advanced, the quality of the “hotels” improved. Upscale taverns had a lounge area with a large fireplace, a bar, benches and chairs and several dining tables. The very best houses had a separate parlor for ladies, a friendly landlord, good food and soft, roomy beds with fireplaces in all the rooms.

Even warming pans were slipped under the covers as guests prepared for bed.

But the further one ventured from larger towns and villages such amenities quickly faded. On the edge of civilization, the inns were little more than dirty hovels crawling with vermin. Still preferable to spending a cold and frightening night camped in the wilderness.

Since permits were required to open taverns and ordinaries, much like today, the locals did not always support such applications.

In 1751, a clergyman’s thoughts were published in the Virginia Gazette on pending requests from a certain part of town.

In part it read, “…that ordinaries are now, in great measure, perverted from their original intention…and become the common Receptacle and Rendezvous of the very Dreggs of the People.”

Warming to his subject, the man of the cloth went on to claim activities, “…such as without intermission; namely Cards, Dice, Horse-racing, and Cock-fighting…Drunkenness, Swearing, Cursing, Perjury, Blasphemy, Cheating, Lying and Fighting are not only tolerated but permitted with impunity.”

My, my. There must have been some hopppin’ joints in the colonial era. Even unusual capitalization was employed to underscore the sins of our fathers.

As one travelled further north into a bit more civilized country, the positive critiques could still be spotty. In 1789, General George Washington passed the evening at the Perkins Tavern in Connecticut because local custom discouraged travelling on Sunday.

He later recorded his pre-Trip Advisor thoughts on the tavern, “…which by the way is not a good one.” George rarely complained so one can only imagine what the place was like.

Nonetheless, in addition to providing comfort to weary travelers, inns and ordinaries were important to local residents. They were a place to gossip, exchange news with guests, transact business such as land sales, and livestock auctions, pick up mail and talk politics.

One could make a case that some of the most consequential discussions on the revolution and constitution occurred in taverns. John Adams claimed the City Tavern in Philadelphia was “the most genteel tavern in America”. It was a favorite watering hole of the Founding Fathers and the First Continental Congress.

In Alexandria, Gadsby’s Tavern often played host to men like John Adams, Alexandria Hamilton, George Washington and other notables. Thomas Jefferson was honored there with a banquet in 1801, the year he became president.

George Washington’s two favorite dishes at Gadsby’s was grilled duck breast with scalloped potatoes and port wine orange glaze and “Gentleman’s Pye”, a lamb and beef red wine stew in a pastry crust.

Today, Gadsby’s Tavern is opened as both a museum and a restaurant.

Virginia’s four oldest
The vast majority of yesterday’s lodging accommodations have been lost to the exorable march of time. But a few have survived and continued to thrive. Here are four Methuselahs of the Commonwealth’s lodging past:

Hanover Tavern
Located in Hanover, the tavern dates from 1733 and was constructed in five stages. It covers 12,000 square feet over three floors. The almost 300-year-old structure has been graced by luminaries no less important than George Washington, Lord Cornwallis, the Marquis de Lafayette and Marquis de Chastellux.

Several slaves from the tavern participated in the Great Slave Rebellion of 1800. Both Union and confederate soldiers took refuge under its roof. It is still an operating tavern serving soups, salads, sandwiches and full dinners. https://hanovertavern.org/

Michie Tavern
Corporal William Michie, who served at Valley Forge, started construction of the tavern in 1784. It was a popular and well-kept lodge with the upstairs assembly room hosting dances, church services, and theatrical performances.

In 1927, a local businesswoman purchased the building, which had been turned into a private residence. She had the structure carefully disassembled and moved 17 miles down the road to its current location and reopened again as a tavern. Today, it serves traditional American cuisine by period dressed servers. Specially items include Southern fried chicken, pulled park barbecue, mashed potatoes, cornbread and biscuits. https://www.michietavern.com/

The Red Fox Inn & Tavern
This is the oldest tavern in Virginia and the oldest inn in the United States. It opened its doors in 1728 and has a storied history, including its bar that was used as a surgeon’s operating table during the Civil war.

It is currently owned by the Reuter family who still serve its famed peanut soup, a recipe dating to the early days of the inn’s existence. Specialties include their crab cakes, surf & turf, fried chicken and crispy half duck.  http://www.redfox.com/

The Tavern
The Tavern is the oldest building in Abingdon and one of the oldest taverns in the state. Built in 1799, it has operated as a tavern from its earliest days. It has housed such historical rock stars such as Henry Clay, King Louis Phillippe of France, President Andrew Jackson and Washington D.C. designer Pierre Charles L’Enfant.

The inn once served dual duty as the local post office and the mail slot still exists in its original location. Tavern favorites are the black & bleu medallions, New York strip, New Zealand rack of lamb and scallops au Gratin.  http://www.abingdontavern.com/

Today, the story of the inns and taverns of the past is told in the numerous bed & breakfasts scattered across the Virginia landscape. While many of these establishments share a link to our state’s past, many others are simply wonderful places to slip away to for a day or two of stress relieve and sightseeing.

To replicate the experiences of our forefather travelers—without the downside of questionable lodging—unlock the door to your next getaway here:  https://www.virginia.org/listings/PlacesToStay/BedBreakfastAssociationofVirginia/

Published in the February 2019 edition of Dine, Wine & Stein magazine.