KYBARREN-L Archives

From: Sandi Gorin <>
Subject: [KYBARREN] BELL'S TAVERN
Date: Thu, 16 Sep 1999 15:49:12 -0500

We're waiting for the fall issue of "Traces" to be printed and I shall keep
my promise on including here one of the articles in this issue. I know some
of you have ties to this area and the people mentioned and hope you find it
interesting. It was done by Bill Thomas who has studied this subject for
many years and I thank him for permitting us to print it!

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE THREE FORKS TAVERN;
THE BUILDER, SUBSEQUENT OWNERS AND OPERATORS
By William L. THOMAS 15 Feb 1999

The current history of the tavern ruins in Park City is incomplete and not
entirely factual. The people given credit for building and establishing the
Tavern actually purchased a well-established business. It was built and in
business for 27 years before Bell purchased the property.

Some of the history was created by the Bell children. They promoted the
myths and legends surrounding the Tavern ruins. This erroneous history has
been accepted through the years rather than the true history which IS OF
RECORD in the Barren County Court House.

To give a short version of the history, the Brick Tavern and attached
Hewed Log House (Inn) was built by James Clements on land owned by Ephraim
Puckett in 1812. It was built with the contract of sale being a handshake
between two honorable men who insisted their word was their bond. James
Clements then ran the Tavern and Inn from 1812 until it was taken away from
Ephraim Puckett by the Barren County
Circuit Court. This taking of the tavern coincided with the death of James
Clements.

David Walker and Dr. John Monroe owned a tract overlapped by Ephraim
Puckett's tract. They wanted possession of the tavern so they initiated a
suit of ejectment in the Barren Circuit Court. Barren county surveyor
Daniel Curd was ordered to go upon the land in dispute and resurvey the
boundary. Curd was accompanied by the Barren Co. Sheriff.

Daniel Curd first reran the boundary at direction of plaintiff David
Walker. Curd attached this resurvey to a faulty and illegal reference
corner. It moved all boundary lines to the south and west. This caused a
boundary line to run across the diagonal center of the Tavern and attached
Hewed Log Inn. The methods used by Curd and Walker violated all common law
principles and precedents that were ever established by the Kentucky Courts
governing surveyors. When Curd reran the same survey at direction of
Ephraim Puckett, the correct methods were demanded of Curd by Puckett with
quite different results. Judge Christopher Tompkins accepted the first
faulty, illegal, and improper survey over the later correct survey after
quashing the first jury finding. Judge Tompkins used his bench to steal
title from the rightful owners Puckett and Clements.

A brief history of the property title and ensuing operators of the brick
tavern as found of record in the Barren County Court Clerks office: This
covers title changes of the brick tavern since the hewed log house
adjoining the brick tavern remained partially in the Clements family until
1832 when Robert S. Bell bought the last share out. In 1839 Robert Bell
acquired title to the entire Tavern and Inn.

To be continued tomorrow. Sandi

Colonel Sandi Gorin
205 Clements,Glasgow, KY 42141
(270) 651-9114 or E-fax (707)222-1210
Member Glasgow-Barren County Chamber of Commerce

Gorin Genealogical Publishing:

http://members.delphi.com/gorin1/index.html

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• [KYBARREN] BELL'S TAVERN by Sandi Gorin <>