Site of the Swan Tavern

In 1779 Charlottesville was described as having a "Court-house, one tavern, and about a dozen houses." This first tavern was the Swan Tavern, owned by John Jouett, the father of local hero Jack Jouett. In May 1781, during the darkest days of the Revolution, Thomas Jefferson was Virginia's Governor. With the British threatening Richmond, he moved the General Assembly to Charlottesville where legislators met in the Courthouse and Swan Tavern. The British commander, Cornwallis, sent Col. Banastre Tarleton to Charlottesville with 250 men to try to capture the rebel government. As Tarleton passed by the Cuckoo tavern in Louisa on the night of June 3, Jack Jouett happened to be nearby. Guessing Tarleton's mission, Jouett rode ahead through the backwoods to Charlottesville, arriving in time to alert Jefferson and the others, including Patrick Henry, Benjamin Harrison, John Tyler, and Richard Henry Lee, to escape. Tarleton did capture seven of the legislators, including young Daniel Boone, and burned some county court records and destroyed military supplies.

The old Swan Tavern fell down in the summer of 1832, and was replaced by the brick structure on the site today.

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Revised June 12, 1996
This page is maintained by Sue Weber.