What's in a name? | Hargrove's Tavern, Suffolk

Few drivers curling down Nansemond Parkway in and out of Suffolk are likely to know that the historical marker for Hargrove's Tavern next to Glebe Church might be out of place. The tavern, once owned by the Hargrove family, was claimed by a fire in the late 1920s or early 1930s.

Judge William Jones, who has lived in Driver his whole life, said the tavern, which dates to before the Revolutionary War, was originally more than a mile away, where the Hargrove Tavern subdivision is now. He said he clearly remembers the building.

The tavern was the site of slave auctions, according to city documents. Jones, 85, said the tavern hosted slave auctions at least twice a year, maybe more.

"It was a wood-framed structure and it was tall - three or four stories tall," he said. The tavern served alcohol, meals and was a kind of hotel upstairs. It served as an election precinct in 1864, according to historical documents.

During the Revolutionary War, the tavern was where two patriots, Capts. King and Davis, were surprised by a British advance on May 11, 1779  Davis was killed and King ran to warn the Nansemond County militia of the British approach. The militia retreated, and two days later, Suffolk was burned by the British.

Jones said he estimates the sign should be in the middle of the entrance to the Hargrove Tavern subdivision.

The best story passed down through the generations about the tavern, Jones said, is about one tavern keeper who was known to imbibe too much. One night he decided he wanted to fly and fashioned himself wings of wire and hay before climbing to the top of the tavern and leaping.

"He shook himself up pretty badly," Jones said.

When asked about the flight the next day, the Hargrove's Tavern keeper said, "Flying was all right, but it was hell landing."

Amy Couteé, (757) 222-5562, amy.coutee@pilotonline.com