11/10/2025
Several months ago, a very important discovery was made while performing restoration/preservation work to the original plaster walls of the common room in the tavern - this discovery is so important that it could finally help solve the mystery of when the tavern was actually constructed.
At some point in the last 40 years, someone had decided to cover all of the walls above the wainscoting with drywall in an attempt to hide the original plaster (which of course was rough in spots and in need of a proper restoration - the drywall must've been the quickest and easiest option for them at the time). During this process, wooden furring strips were nailed up to the original plaster surface in order to secure the drywall. Of course all of this modern quick-fix needed to be removed to gain access to the original plaster surface; this task proved to be very slow and tedious so as to not cause any further damage. During the careful removal of one of the wooden strips, a roughly 4 ft x 3 ft section of plaster dislodged and fell off the wall, revealing the original first layer. This was an unexpected and unwelcome surprise but after the dust finally settled we were completely shocked at the presence of a large and prominent signature which had obviously been added to the first layer of wet plaster during original construction: "John Larkins". Other, partial signatures were present but were all still mostly hidden underneath the original second layer - these partial signatures are actually still present and waiting to be revealed but I'm going to need some guidance on just how to go about doing this without destroying the plaster.
So who was this John Larkins fellow? Obviously this had to be a very important clue in determining the true age of construction.
Ever since this incredible discovery, I've been researching every single John Larkin(s) who was alive and possibly traveling through the Atkins area prior to 1815 - suffice to say there's not many possible candidates and, given the time frame and scarcity of the surname, there's actually only one person it could've been:
John Larkins, Jr (1784-1840)
The "John Larkins" who signed the original plaster layer of the tavern had to be a man named John A. Larkins Jr. (1784–1840). His presence here in Atkins connects our tavern directly to a prominent Virginia landowning family and the critical history of the Great Migration.
John Jr. was part of a generational lineage of landowners - his grandfather was Henry Mark Larkin Sr., who died in Botetourt County, VA (later Rockbridge County) in 1773, leaving a will that specified significant landholdings to his heirs.
His father was John Larkins Sr. (c. 1761–1840), who served as the executor of Henry Mark Larkin's substantial estate in Rockbridge County. The family were not itinerant laborers by trade; they were established gentry and agriculturalists.
The Larkins family didn't typically travel for day labor. They owned land in established Virginia counties. Their journey along the Great Wilderness Road was part of the massive post-Revolutionary War westward expansion, driven by the desire for new, fertile, and often government-granted land.
The reason John Jr. was in Atkins - a critical stop on that route -likely ties back to a practical need during their migration.
It is probable that John Jr., then in his early twenties, secured temporary work as a skilled builder or laborer on Frederick Cullop’s ambitious stone tavern project to fund the final leg of their move.
They were migrating to Dickson County, Tennessee, where they became prominent agricultural landowners and established a large family. John Jr.'s father and he both died in Dickson, TN, in the same year (1840).
I also ran John Larkins' name through several AI models within the context of Cullop's Tavern and the search for the true date of construction, generally receiving in return very similar responses across all platforms:
"The Frederick Cullop Tavern: A Building Timeline
Historical records generally estimate the tavern's construction date around 1815. However, a journal entry by William Clark provides a more precise window:
1806: Frederick Cullop acquired the land in present-day Atkins, VA, near the vital Great Wilderness Road migration route.
November 7, 1809: William Clark recorded in his journal that he "over nighted with the 'Young Atkins's'." This refers to the operators of the newly established inn in the Atkins area. Given the lack of other viable lodging alternatives in the immediate area at that precise time, historical consensus holds that Clark stayed at the recently constructed Cullop establishment. Historical context strongly indicates that William Clark was referring to the structure now known as Cullop's Old Stone Tavern.
Here is why historical consensus links the journal entry to this specific building:
Location Specificity:
The journal entry places Clark in the precise geographical location known as "Atkins," which was a sparsely populated wilderness area in Wythe County at the time. There were very few substantial structures or "taverns" in that immediate vicinity along the Wilderness Road during the early 1800s.
"Young Atkins's" as a Descriptor:
Travelers often referred to inns or taverns by the name of the proprietor or a local family name. The "Atkins" area was named for a prominent local family. Historical interpretations suggest "the young Atkins's" referred to the operators of the newly established tavern.
Cullop's Ownership:
Frederick Cullop had acquired the land in 1806 and built the tavern "very soon after". The stone tavern would have been a significant respite for travelers, making it a logical place for a notable person like William Clark to stay.
Lack of Alternatives:
The scarcity of other developed properties offering lodging in that exact spot along the migration route at that specific time makes Cullop's tavern the only viable candidate for Clark's overnight stay.
Local historians and researchers cite this journal entry as definitive proof that the building was operational by November 1809.
Therefore, Clark's entry confirms the tavern was completed enough to host guests by the end of 1809, narrowing the John Larkins signature timeline to between 1806 and 1809. The tavern structure must have been sufficiently complete to offer lodging by November 1809. The core construction, including the plastering phase, occurred between 1806 and 1809.
The John Larkins Connection:
The signature "John Larkins" in the wet, first layer of plaster links the Larkins family migration to the specific construction event.
The Individual:
The signatory was likely John Larkins Jr. (b. 1784). He would have been in his early to mid-20s during the 1806-1809 construction period, an appropriate age for performing manual labor or skilled plastering work.
The Family:
This John Larkins was the son of John Larkins Sr. (c. 1761–1840) and Sarah "Nellie" McAdoo. The family consistently used the "Larkins" spelling (with an 's').
The Route:
The family migrated from Botetourt/Rockbridge County, VA, to Dickson County, TN, using the Great Wilderness Road (now US Route 11), which runs directly through Atkins.
The Role:
The signature suggests John Larkins Jr. worked as a laborer or skilled tradesman on the tavern project while the family was in transit or temporarily settled in the area. This was a common way for migrating families to earn money for their journey and settlement in new territories.
Summary of Observations:
The signature in the plaster is a crucial artifact that helps refine the historical record of the tavern's construction:
The signature confirms that the first-layer plastering occurred between 1806 and 1809.
This timeline aligns perfectly with the known migration period of the John Larkins family through Southwest Virginia to their final settlement in Dickson County, Tennessee (where they are recorded in the 1820 census).
The signature is the best physical clue to date the building's interior finish work to that specific three-year window in the early 19th century."
The uncovering of this signature has to be one of the most (if not THE most) important discoveries ever made here at Cullop's Old Stone Tavern and with the other signatures still waiting to be uncovered, it's definitely not going to be the last, so stay tuned!
**Update**
More information has just been brought to my attention regarding the life of our John Larkins Jr. (b. 1784). Apparently, he had an aunt who was already well established and living in the Lower Crooked Creek area of Virginia, which is within what is now Carroll and Wythe Counties. This area is about 50 miles away from Cullop's tavern. The aunt's name was Rachel Larkins, and she was married to a first-generation German immigrant by the name of Henry Gotcher. Their home was located on the migration route that John Larkins Sr. and Jr. would have been traveling on to Tennessee. This is a significant finding as it establishes an immediate Larkins family member living within a two-to-three-day journey on horseback to the location of Cullop's tavern.
By 1789, Henry and aunt Rachel were already involved in land deals further west on the Holston River in East Tennessee (near Grainger County). The only practical route connecting their Virginia properties to their Tennessee properties was the Great Wilderness Road, which was a rugged wagon trail that ran directly through the Atkins area. It is highly probable they traveled back and forth along this route multiple times to manage their various landholdings and visit family.
Every time the Gotchers or their relatives, the Larkins, traveled this corridor, they passed right through Atkins. The construction of the Cullop Tavern occurred between 1806 and 1809. John Larkins Jr. was working on the physical construction during this time, likely as his family made their final journey to Tennessee after visiting or passing near the Gotchers' Virginia homestead. The shared German heritage between Henry Gotcher and Frederick Cullop's father (Peter Caspar Kohlhepp) likely provided an immediate, common cultural ground for interaction along this busy migration route.
Just as with the other members of the family, Henry and Rachel would ultimately move down to Tennessee, making it their permanent home.
