Archaeological Survey of the Old Federal Road in Alabama

assortment of Dry Goods hardware, Cutlery, and Groceries all of which be sold low forLucas’s bills or other money only: W. B. Lucas. 37Lucas’s Tavern was the first stop west of Line Creek. Prior to the land cession of 1832 and theremoval of the Creek Indians, Line Creek served as the western boundary of the Creek Nation. TheLucas’s operated a respectable inn and were often praised for their hospitality. The inn appeared to bemore under the direction of Mrs. Lucas than her husband. James Stuart, who visited the tavern in 1830,remarked, “She takes the entire management of her house, and from what I saw and heard, manages itadmirably. At dinner, she sat at the head of the table, her husband sitting at one side.” According toStuart, Mrs. Lucas “has been a good-looking woman, but now is fatter at her age (only thirty-five) thanany woman I ever saw.” 38 Perhaps contributing to the considerable waistline of Mrs. Lucas was theextravagant dinners she served at her tavern, consisting of “chicken-pie, ham, vegetables, pudding, andpie, was so neatly put upon the table and so well cooked, and the dessert, consisting of dried fruits,preserved strawberries and plums, was so excellent.” 39Perhaps the most famous figure to visit Lucas’s Tavern was France’s hero of the AmericanRevolution, the Marquis de Lafayette, who stopped here during his tour of the United States in 1825.Thomas S. Woodward accompanied Lafayette on his tour and wrote in his reminiscences, “That night wereached Walter B. Lucas. Every thing was ‘done up’ better than it will ever be again; one thing only waslacking – time – we could not stay long enough. The next morning we started for Montgomery.” 40The tavern remained under the Lucas’s ownership until they moved to Noxubee County,Mississippi in 1842. After their departure, the tavern was converted to a residence. The Daughters of theAmerican Revolution placed a historical marker at the tavern in 1930 to commemorate Lafayette’s visit,by which time the house was in disrepair (Figure 8-23). After use for some time for cattle feed storage,the house was donated in 1978 by owners Stewart Fuzzell and Vergie Broward to the LandmarksFoundation of Montgomery and moved to Old Alabama Town. 41 In 1980 the house was restored, minusthe porch, which was a later addition. Today the old tavern is a prominent part of “The Living Block”section of Old Alabama Town in downtown Montgomery (Figure 8-24).The original site of the tavern has been largely destroyed by materials mining and agriculture.Lucas Hill Cemetery, originally situatedwas moved to a new location in 2005. The cemetery, which190