Documenting the American South

Monument Name

Old Hickory Tavern, Hickory

Type

Sculpture

Subjects

Geography

Colonial History

Local History

City

Hickory

County

Catawba

Description

The memorial is a large stone and masonry chimney with a massive lentil and large open hearth beneath. Although of modern (mid-20th century) construction, its crumbling appearance mimics being all that remains of an old abandoned building and was modeled after the old tavern’s actual chimney. A bronze plaque covers much of the chimney above the hearth. In front of the chimney is a grinding stone from an old mill. Poured concrete sections form a circle directly in front of the chimney with the grinding stone centered in the circle.

Images: Plaque | Far-off view of the memorial

Inscription

OLD HICKORY TAVERN / BIRTHPLACE OF HICKORY / TO THE REAR OF THIS SPOT STOOD A LOG / HOUSE KNOWN IN 1799 AS HICKORY TAVERN. / THIS TRACT OF 640 ACRES WAS SURVEYED / BY COL. BENJAMIN W. BEEKMAN ON JUNE / 8, 1799 AND WAS GRANTED TO WILLIAM / MCMULLEN OCT. 28, 1783. ON THE SOUTH SIDE / OF THIS TAVERN RAN THIS ROAD / “ON MAY 10, 1769 THE WORSHIPFUL / COURT OF ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. MET: / PRESENT / WILLIAM TEMP. COLES JOHN FORD / JOHN OLIPHANT, ESQUIRES” / ON PETITION OF SUNDRY INHABITANTS OF / THE UPPER PART OF THE CATABA RIVER FOR / TO VIEW AND LAY OFF A ROAD FROM THE / COVE ON THE NORTH FORK OF THE CATABA / RIVER THE BEST WAY TO SALISBURY BY / SHERRILS FORD. THE FOLLOWING JURY / BE APPOINTED, TO WIT, /
[Left column] CAP. ADAM SHERRILL / JAMES MCLANE / MICHAEL LITTEN / JACOB SHERRILL / JOHN BRIDGES, SENR. / WILLIAM SIMPSON / PETER LOWRANCE / UTY SHERRILL /
[Center Column] RICHARD LEWIS / SAMUEL BROWN / BOSTON CLYNE, JUNR. / AQUILLA SHERRILL / JOHN MCDOWELL / JOHN MCPEETORS / GEORGE CATHEY / ROBERT PATTON / [Right Column] FRANCIS PATTON / WILLIAM MOORE / ABRAHAM SCOTT / ANDREW KILLION / JOHN PEARSONS / JOSEPH WHITE / WILLIAM RICHEY / ROBERT BRANCH / OVERSEERS / WILLIAM DEAVOR SIMON JONAS ROBERT BIGHAM PERKINS

SPONSORED AND ERECTED BY / THE HICKORY TAVERN CHAPTER / DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION / ORGANIZED FEBRUARY 13TH, 1951

Dedication Date

Circa 1960

Decade

1960s

Geographic Coordinates

35.731640 , -81.339700 View in Geobrowse

Supporting Sources

“Hickory Tavern Monument in downtown Hickory, NC,” http://www.orchestralibrary.com/, (accessed November 15, 2016) Link

“Hickory, NC- From a Small Town to an All-American City,” North Carolina History Projects, http://carolinahistory.web.unc.edu, (accessed November 15, 2016) Link

Public Site

Yes

Materials & Techniques

Bronze plaque on a replica stone and masonry chimney

Sponsors

The Hickory Tavern Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution

Location

The memorial is located in downtown Hickory on 2nd St. SW near the intersection with Government Avenue SW. The memorial backs up to the parking lot for the restored historic Hickory train station. A short distance from it, Hickory Veterans Memorial and Tower of Miracles stand on the downtown pedestrian plaza.

Landscape

The memorial stands in a narrow grassy park like area with scattered trees and several benches.