Next year is the 100th anniversary of the purchase of the Michie Tavern by Josephine Henderson, an early pioneer in the field of tourism. The structure was originally located between Earlysville and Free Union, but in 1927 Henderson paid to have it dismantled and moved 16 miles from Buck Mountain to its current location on Carter’s Mountain on the road to Monticello.
“Monticello had been [open] for several years and was drawing thousands of visitors,” reads a history page on the Michie Tavern’s website. “Henderson was merely following the precepts of her preservation peers when she decided to move Michie Tavern to a more accessible location.”
For the past 58 years the tavern has been owned by the family of Greg McDonald but in recent years they’ve put the 6.71 acre property on the market. In early 2024, the Thomas Jefferson Foundation announced they were going to purchase the site but declined to follow through…