Over Yonder
Belfast expert
points out history
Fern Greenbank
Community Storyteller
In May 2014, Colonel Garry Littleton, the owner of a leather goods company in Lynnville, purchased and moved the old
Adams Inn and Tavern in Belfast to his farm for preservation.
As part of the preservation process, Col. Littleton spent time
with Miss Kipp Orr, Belfast’s oldest resident, to learn as much
as he could about the tavern. The building is significant because it’s known to be a resting place for Andrew Jackson and
his troops on their way to the Battle of New Orleans. It’s also
significant because Kipp Orr’s mother was born in the portion
of the tavern that survived. The tavern was owned by Miss
Orr’s family for more than 150 years.
The colonel is known for his in-depth research. He only
takes on preservation projects that come with verifiable stories and construction consistent with the time period. Last
week, the colonel and his media team arrived in Belfast to
spend time with Bill Gold, a pig farmer who has lived up the
road from the tavern for all of his 84 years. It was like two old
friends who hadn’t seen each other for years. They somehow
had “people” in common. Apparently the colonel tried his
hand at hog farming briefly in his past.
The colonel asked Gold if he could take him on a little tour
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of critical sites and Gold obliged. The colonel wanted to see where the tavern originally sat. He wanted to lay eyes on the spot where the old oak tree
shaded Jackson’s troops. He also wanted to see where the spring was located that quenched the thirst of tired soldiers. Gold, who was somewhat
amused by all the fuss and photography, offered the colonel what he knew.
It was a good productive day, the colonel said. He left with more information than he came with and met a good old fashioned storyteller in the
process.