| Eagle Tavern | |
| Location: | Main St., Halifax, North Carolina |
| Coordinates: | 36.3297°N -77.5889°W |
| Added: | April 24, 1973 |
| Area: | less than one acre |
| Refnum: | 73001349 |
The Eagle Tavern is a historic tavern built in the 1790s in Halifax, Halifax County, North Carolina. The tavern (known as the "Eagle Hotel" in the 1820s) served as an overnight stop for the official traveling party during the visit of the Marquis de Lafayette to the United States.[1] The tavern is demarcated as "E-68" on the North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program.[2] It is a two-story, pedimented, T-shaped tripartite frame building. It was moved to its present site in the 1840s.[3]
According to local tradition, George Washington stayed at the tavern while surveying the Dismal Swamp Canal. William Hooper also supposedly lived there for a time.[4] When Willie Jones declined the opportunity to host Washington during his visit in 1791, Washington again stayed at the tavern, hosted by John Ashe.[5]
The Marquis de Lafayette stayed at the tavern when he visited Halifax on February 27, 1825 during his travel through the United States, and a banquet was held at the tavern in his honor.[6] The banquet was hosted by John Branch.[7]
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.