On the bustling streets of everyday Alexandria, Virginia, there is one place that has stood the test of time and welcomed weary travelers for over 200 years. Gadsby’s tavern sits at the corner of one of these streets and was once a regular stop for people such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. The front door creaks with that old-time charm and visitors are immediately greeted by warm smiles and the pleasantness of being welcomed.
While there are regular tours on the hour at the museum, for the tour given on the afternoon of April 16, 2016, visitors were treated to an extended tour that discussed how women were a part of tavern life. Themed “Women, Taverns & Chocolate”, the tour was partnered with Atlas Obscura, a collaborative project that highlights little-known locations as well as curiosities and oddities that are abound in the world.
“Taverns were a part of daily life in the 18th century,” said Michele Longo, a museum educator at Darnby’s. “It would have been normal to come here as eating out for us today.”
Longo is a vibrant, young woman who has an enthusiasm matched only by her in-depth knowledge of what life was really like back in the “Olden Days”.
The museum is displayed with rooms set up as if you took a step back in time and Longo seems as if she were living in that time as she speaks.
“It’s great to come back and see what it was like to live, travel and party in the 18th century,” said Longo.
Though the lesson is intriguing, one can’t help compare and contrast how we live today to how our ancestors lived. It was a different time.Longo described how there were communal punch during meals, “Since it was a social drink, meant to be shared, you could be literally drinking and then passing it around the table.”She said there is a great misconception about women’s’ role regarding taverns. Women traveled with their husbands and families and could very well end up needing to stay the night, needing a bed. It wasn’t about wenches, as is often depicted in modern media and television. However, in a time before equal rights for women began to change, women were many times not allowed to partake in discussions or politics.
As Longo pointed out in one dining room, “Ladies, you wouldn’t be coming in this room.”
Women could frequent the tavern, and although it was usually to attend the markets that were often held in the event rooms, balls were also a commonplace event for women to attend.
Longo said men usually paid for the ball, but women were always invited to attend in local flyers or news.
“It really was a social palette for ladies,” said Longo.
Michele Longo, curator of education, teaches visitors how meals were served and eaten at Gadsby's Tavern Museum during a special tour, April 16, 2016, in Alexandria, Va. The tour was part of an Atlas Obscura Day event and offered an inside view of how taverns operated during the late 1700s in relation to women.
Michele Longo (far left), curator of education, describes different events that could be held in one of the larger rooms at Gadsby's Tavern Museum during an Atlas Obscura Day event, April 16, 2016, in Alexandria, Va. Atlas Obscura is a collaborative project that highlights little-known locations as well as curiosities and oddities that can be found throughout the world.
Michele Longo, curator of education, explains how an 18th century sugar utensil was used at Gadsby's Tavern Museum during a special tour, April 16, 2016, in Alexandria, Va. The tavern is preserved as a museum and restaurant and once served visitors such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
An 18th century board game is recreated in a dining room at Gadsby's Tavern Museum, April 16, 2016, in Alexandria, Va. The game would let travelers to the tavern and hotel to relax after eating a meal here.
Michele Longo (left), curator of education, discusses the original building plans for Gadsby's Tavern Museum, April 16, 2016. The tavern and museum is named after an Englishman named John Gadsby, who leased the buildings and worked as a tavern keeper from 1796 to 1808.
A recreation of a fish dinner rests on a table in a recreated dining room at Gadsby's Tavern Museum, April 16, 2016, in Alexandria, Va. Many of the dishes recreated look realistic and offer visitors a glimpse into how food differed from what we eat today.
A woman sits on a recreation of an 18th century bed at Gadsby's Tavern Museum during a special tour, April 16, 2016, in Alexandria, Va. A bed such as the one shown could fit up to three people and those people might not have even known each other.
An 18th century chocolate drink is served at Gadsby's Tavern Museum during a “Women, Taverns & Chocolate” presentation April 16, 2016, in Alexandria, Va. The chocolate drinks were served during a specialized tour in order for visitors to experience what life was like in the late 1700s.
Visitors taste an 18th century chocolate drink at Gadsby's Tavern Museum during a special tour, April 16, 2016, in Alexandria, Va. The theme of the tour was “Women, Taverns & Chocolate” and was sponsored by Atlas Obscura.