“SATAN’S THUMB”
In passing through the place in 1818, Dr. Conrad Speece attempted to preach at night in the court house, but nearly failed, due to the insufficient light, and the rudeness of the boys. He spent the night at the tavern, and such were the sentiments uttered by the prominent gentlemen, and such the conduct of the young men frequenting the tavern, that he said the next day: “When Satan promised all the kingdoms of the world to Christ, he laid his thumb on Charlottesville, and whispered, ‘except this place, which I reserve for my own especial use’.”
This old hostelry in its day housed all the great men of the vicinity, and a great many from a distance.