I love a mystery. As an archaeologist, it’s this interest in discovering the unknown that keeps me digging. The potential for discovery – the artifact or feature that might be hiding just under that next trowel-scrape of soil – is exhilarating, and the information learned from everyday objects is invaluable. Unlike the old Jahr Hardware Store (now J. T. Walker’s Brewery) or other familiar facades that line Mahomet’s Main Street, important historic sites are often invisible on the modern landscape. Although the original structures might be long gone, the history of a site often remains buried. The site of the Ohio/Nine Gal Tavern, a building block in the foundation of our community, is one location where the hidden history of early settlers and a future president remain preserved.
John Bryan came to Illinois in 1833, marrying Malinda Busey the same year in the first documented marriage in Champaign County. In 1834, the couple purchased property on the south side of the Fort Clark Trail (today Rte. 150). They named the property Timber Edge Farm and reportedly brought sawed lumber almost 60 miles overland from Covington, Indiana, to build their home. Unique for its size in a time of rough-hewn log cabins, it is this two-story building which local historians believe became the Nine Gal Tavern. According to local historians, “Bryant” was proprietor of the first tavern in Middletown (later Mahomet) Township. As a wealthy farmer in the early 1830s, it is curious that he would choose to explore the inn-keeping trade, and there is no record of a tavern license being issued for the establishment. However, the close proximity of the Sangamon Ford and the intersection of several county roads made it likely that travelers would stop on their way through the area, especially when the Sangamon flooded and the ford was impassable. Bryan probably began offering hospitality to early travelers delayed by high waters, with payment as often coming in the form of books and other trade goods as in cash. It was likely during Bryan’s ownership of the property that the tavern became known as the Nine Gal, a name which has endured in local legend ever since. The Bryans moved to new land by the 1850s, leasing the property to Thomas Davidson and his family. They changed the name to the Ohio Tavern, and it was during this time Abraham Lincoln, Judge David Davis, and other esteemed members of the Eighth Judicial Circuit Court were rumored to have stopped in on trips from Decatur to Urbana. Local legend describes Lincoln the lawyer bouncing little Jimmy Davidson on his knee while visiting with friends in the Middletown community. Judge Davis’s letters to his wife Sarah from this time describe in detail the uncertain conditions travelers faced when visiting taverns. A well-kept tavern would certainly have been worth returning to on subsequent trips through the area, and Davidson’s 1856 purchase of several hundred acres of land testifies to the profitable outcomes of inn-keeping! Though the tavern structure and farmhouse that replaced it are lost to time, a wealth of objects remains through which we can learn about the Bryan and Davidson families. Archaeological excavations carried out in the late 1980s and early 1990s produced a collection of artifacts that to most would look like trash: broken ceramics, chunks of brick and glass, nails, and a few personal items like buttons or children’s toys. However, archaeologists treasure these collections for the information they produce about everyday life in the mid-19th century. Although the Bryan and Davidson families lived only 150 years ago, their lives were very different from ours. Interestingly, archaeologists and historians find it very difficult at times to discern the meanings and uses of everyday objects from the past. Think about it – we would not write a journal entry or do a blog about our hairbrush or television remote, right? In the same way, past people did not often record the uses for objects used in their daily routine, because they were too commonplace to be notable. Yet, because what we choose to own says a lot about who we think we are, archaeologists can look at a collection of artifacts from a site to gain insight about their owners. Malinda Busey or her successor Mrs. Davidson surely enjoyed red- and blue-transferprint dishes, as they were by far the most often-found ceramic sherds on the site. Perhaps they were used by Lincoln himself! The pretty ceramics, imported from far-away markets, probably reassured guests of the tavern’s quality. However, these utilitarian objects likely served an additional purpose. Oral tradition notes that colorful dishes in various patterns were often used for decoration and entertainment, as well as for culinary use. Women would proudly display these ceramics, bringing them out to tell stories about the patterns and images, and dishes such as these were highly prized in many families. I love the thought of the woman of the house lovingly bringing out cherished plate to retell a story about the classical image featured, while her children played with clay marbles or porcelain dolls on the floor below.
We do not know the names of Davidson’s wife or children, but we can peek for a moment into their lives through the artifacts found on the site of their old home. Thanks to current property owners dedicated to preserving the site, the stories of the past endure. Mahomet residents now learn about the community’s history through an interpretive sign at the site, while students in this year’s Archaeology Camp recently held an excavation there. They found lots of architectural debris, ceramic sherds, and a few medicinal bottle pieces to add to the existing collection (all of which will be on display at the Museum of the Grand Prairie in the next few weeks)!
Please come out to the Museum to view their finds and many more artifacts – including transferware plates! – from the Ohio/Nine Gal Tavern.
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Valerie Hall is currently the Curator at the Museum of the Grand Prairie. Along with developing exhibits and educational programs at the museum, Hall also updates the Museum of the Grand Prairie blog with stories, and volunteers her time in the MAYC B.L.A.S.T. program.
