Kilpatrick Tavern, Jacksonville, is where General Morgan and his staff made their headquarters while in town. The photo was made available by Chester Thomas.
March 18, 1965
By Nelle Truitt
Jacksonville (Jacktown) on Route 41, near Peebles, is another county village claiming the dubious honor of having been visited by the notorious Confederate General John Morgan and Company. The town was laid out by William Thomas, October 20, 1815, and named in honor of the “Hero of New Orleans” General Andrew (Stonewall, “Don’t shoot ‘till you see the whites of their eyes”) Jackson. Adams County History also notes that the famed Andrew Jackson and party warmed and refreshed themselves just a few miles down the road at Trebers Inn when he was on his way to be inaugurated following his election to President of the U.S. in November 1823.
Some argument stands as to whether the town was actually called Jacksonville or Dunbarton. Again, according to the Adams County History, the town was named Jacksonville, but since there was an already existing Jacksonville Post Office in another county the post office here was named Dunbarton.
When this history was written, about 1890 the population of Jacksonville was 140 and boasted 2 dry goods stores, 2 blacksmiths, one wagon and buggy shop, one tannery, one shoe shop, one hotel, 2 doctors and one church. Today there is one business, White’s grocery and garbage combined and approximately 85 population.
According to legendary word of mouth, Morgan’s Lieutenant was supposed to have asked the General upon seeing the sign Kilpatrick Tavern, “Well, shall we kill – Patrick?” Morgan (again legend) was supposedly sympathetic to anyone displaying the Masonic Emblem. The tavern displayed this emblem on its sign, so Morgan and his staff made it their headquarters for the night. Mrs. Kilpatrick and other ladies of the village cooked all night for the estimated 1,100 men.
Another tale is told of one brave little man who decided to fight the whole company and climbed up in a tree in front of the tavern with his gun. Morgan was so impressed with this bravery he merely bent the man’s gun around the tree and let him go. Morgan was quoted as saying, “if I had 1,100 men as brave as that I could lick the whole Union Army.”
In Jacksonville, as they had done in the villages of Cherry Fork, Wheat Ridge, Harshaville and Dunkinsville, Morgan’s men grabbed off or destroyed everything that took their fancy.
