Tavern's History Buried in Folklore

Could Thomas Jefferson have stopped for a mug of beer at Joseph Nichols Tavern when he traveled through Lynchburg during the early 1800's?

Margaret Byrd Adams, who has been researching the tavern's history, thinks the country's second president did visit the tavern, which still stands on the corner of Fifth and Madison Streets.

Nichols rented the land from John Lynch and built a tavern - also known as an ordinary - in 1814 on Fifth and Madison streets.

Nichols' first establishment, was made of wood, went up in flames the night of April 14, 1815, when sparks from a blacksmith's shop set the tavern ablaze.

The residents of Lynchburg, thought the entire town was going to burn.  The citizens raised $1,500 for Nichols.  He bought the land from John Lynch for $500, rebuilt the tavern and was soon back in business.

In 1818 Nichols divided his property and sold one part to Louis Nichols and the other to John F. Johnson.  Between 1818 and 1823 Louis Nichols made several additions to the tavern and ran into financial problems.  When he died in 1824, a carpenter to whom he owed money inherited the tavern.

Sometime in 1824 Johnson bought the carpenter out and doubled the size of the tavern according to the tax record of 1827.  From the deed in Campbell County came a glimpse of how the tavern was furnished in 1824.

Wanderers traveling the dusty stagecoach trails probably pulled up their windsor chairs to a walnut dinning table and ate off earthenware dishes.

The tavern stayed in The Johnson family  until 1892 when it was sold to T.R. Twyman.  Joseph Nichols Tavern passed hands five times between 1892 and 1976 when it was finally bought by the Restoration and Housing Corp.

Since its restoration in 1976, the tavern has regained its function as a place where people can meet to relax, eat, drink and be merry.