Old Talbott Tavern

Please join us for this audio tour of the Old Talbott Tavern built in 1779.

Welcome to the Old Talbott Tavern, the “oldest western stagecoach stop” still in operation. With this audio tour, we’ll travel together through time, to discover the many stories hidden in these historic walls, from the adventures of early frontier settlers to a visit by Abraham Lincoln, to gunshots fired by none other than Jesse James. During this 20-minute audio tour, we will explore the history of the original building and tell stories of our most notorious guests. These walls have seen times of war and celebration and have been witness to over 200 years of our nation’s history.
This audio tour starts by telling how our town originated and the role that our historic building played in the development of Bardstown. We will share with you some unique features of the original building. During this tour, you will hear tales of many notorious guests starting with Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln was an overnight guest here when he was a young boy. Here the story of his family’s trial which brought them to Bardstown. Two well-known United States generals also spent time here at the Talbott Tavern as well as German violinist, Anton Heinrich, frontiersman, Daniel Boone, and the creator of the short story, Washington Irving. Washington Irving included a tale that occurred here at the tavern in one of his short stories. During his exile from France, King Louis Phillippe visited the Talbott Tavern. Members of his party left their mark by painting murals on the walls of an upstairs room. This audio tour will share the story of the bullet holes in one of these murals by legendary outlaw, Jesse James. The audio tour ends in our world-famous bourbon bar which features the largest selection of bourbons in the area with over 200 different bourbons.