Hanover County Courthouse | |
Location | Hanover Court House, Virginia |
---|---|
Coordinates | 37°45′47″N77°22′3″W / 37.76306°N 77.36750°W |
Built | 1735 |
Architectural style | Georgian |
Part of | Hanover County Courthouse Historic District (ID71000980) |
NRHP reference No. | 69000247 |
VLR No. | 042-0016 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | October 1, 1969 [1] |
Designated NHL | November 7, 1973 [2] |
Designated CP | September 22, 1971 |
Designated VLR | November 5, 1968 [3] |
Hanover County Courthouse is a historic courthouse located in the community of Hanover Courthouse, the county seat of Hanover County, Virginia. Built about 1735, it is one of the nation's oldest courthouses still in use for that purpose. It is historically notable as the site of the Parson's Cause case, which was argued by Patrick Henry in 1763. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1973. [1] A modern courthouse complex stands nearby, which now houses most of the county's judicial functions.
The Hanover County Courthouse is located in the center of the small community formally called Hanover Courthouse (but is more colloquially known just as "Hanover"). It is set on a grassy quadrangle on the north side of United States Route 301, with other 18th-century buildings nearby that make up the Hanover County Courthouse Historic District. It is a single-story brick building, with a tall hipped roof with modillioned cornice, and three chimneys. It is laid out in a T shape, with the courtroom in the rear-projecting leg of the T, the judge's quarters on the left side, and a jury room on the right. The front of the building is distinguished by an arcade of rounded arches. [4]
Hanover County was created in 1720 by the Colony of Virginia. The courthouse was built about 1735, supposedly by William Meriwether, who also built and operated the original Hanover Tavern, just across the main road. Its design was apparently based on the courthouse of King William County to the southeast. [5]
In 1763, Patrick Henry, who lived and practiced law in Hanover County, argued the case of the Parson's Cause, involving King George III's veto of local legislation changing tax rates for the support of local Anglican ministry despite their objections and those of the House of Burgesses. Henry, representing the county, accused the King of tyranny in overturning colonial law without regard to the wishes of his subjects. [6] [7]
A new modern government complex with two court buildings was built and opened in 1979 adjacent to the 1735 courthouse, which is still actively used for periodic judicial proceedings to alleviate crowded court dockets and also for handling ceremonial events [8]
Hanover County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 109,979. Its county seat is Hanover.
The town of Washington, Virginia, is a historic village located in the eastern foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park. The entire town is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district, Washington Historic District. It is the county seat of Rappahannock County, Virginia.
The "Parson's Cause" was a legal and political dispute in the British colony of Virginia often viewed as an important event leading up to the American Revolution. Colonel John Henry, father of Patrick Henry, was the judge who presided over the court case and jury that decided the issue. The relatively unknown Patrick Henry advocated in favor of colonial rights in the case.
The Allegheny County Courthouse in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is part of a complex designed by H. H. Richardson. The buildings are considered among the finest examples of the Romanesque Revival style for which Richardson is well known.
Hanover is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Hanover County, Virginia, United States. It is the county seat and is located at the junction of U.S. Route 301 and State Route 54 south of the Pamunkey River. While historically known as Hanover Courthouse, the U.S. Geological Survey, Census Bureau, Postal Service and residents refer to it as "Hanover". The population as of the 2010 census was 252.
Scotchtown is a plantation located in Hanover County, Virginia, that from 1771 to 1778 was owned and used as a residence by U.S. Founding Father Patrick Henry, his wife Sarah and their children. He was a revolutionary and elected in 1778 as the first Governor of Virginia. The house is located in Beaverdam, Virginia, 10 miles (16 km) northwest of Ashland, Virginia on VA 685. The house, at 93 feet (28 m) by 35 feet (11 m), is one of the largest 18th-century homes to survive in the Americas. In its present configuration, it has eight substantial rooms on the first floor surrounding a central passage, with a full attic above and English basement with windows below. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965.
The Hanover Tavern is a community center, theatre, and recreational tavern located in Hanover, Virginia. Originally built in 1733, it is one of the oldest taverns in the United States.
The Wise County Courthouse is located at 206 East Main Street in downtown Wise, Virginia. As well as being home to Wise County's judicial system, it also serves as the chief administrative building for the county. It was built in 1896 to replace a much smaller court building. The original courthouse was completed in 1858, two years after the formation of Wise County, but was destroyed by Union troops during the Civil War in 1864. The current courthouse was designed in the Renaissance style of architecture.
Emmanuel Episcopal Church is an historic Episcopal church located on the west side of U.S. Route 301, just north of the Rappahannock River in Port Conway, Virginia, in the United States. Emmanuel Church and its historic graveyard are located in front of Belle Grove. In 1751, future President James Madison was born at Belle Grove, the childhood home of his mother, Eleanor Rose "Nelly" Conway. On January 7, 1987, Emmanuel Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The pipe organ, built by Henry Erben, is original to the building and is in continual use during services.
The Chowan County Courthouse is a historic courthouse in Edenton, the county seat of Chowan County, North Carolina. Built in 1767, it is one of the finest examples of public Georgian architecture in the American South. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1970.
Hanover County Courthouse Historic District is a national historic district located at Hanover Courthouse, Hanover County, Virginia, USA. The district includes four contributing buildings in the county seat of Hanover Courthouse. They are the separately listed Hanover County Courthouse (1735), the old jail (1835), the clerk's office, and the Hanover Tavern now known as the Barksdale Theatre.
The King William County Courthouse is a courthouse located in the unincorporated community of King William, King William County, Virginia. The original courthouse structure was constructed in 1725; it is the oldest courthouse building in continuous use in the United States. The courthouse is constructed of brick laid in Flemish bond. In 1840 the courthouse was enlarged and a brick wall was erected to enclose the court green and to keep livestock and poultry away from the buildings. A new courthouse complex has been constructed to augment the old; however, hearings are still held in the old building to preserve its historic designation.
Rural Plains, also informally known as Shelton House, is a historic farm house dating to the 1660s in Mechanicsville, Virginia, Hanover County; it is one of the sites included within the Richmond National Battlefield Park. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
The Old Clarke County Courthouse is a historic county courthouse complex located at Berryville, Clarke County, Virginia. The complex includes the Old Clarke County Courthouse, built in 1837; the original county clerk's building, dating from the 1880s; and a two-story building built about 1900 and containing the Sheriff's office and county jail. The former courthouse is a two-story, red brick temple-form structure, fronted by a full-height Tuscan order portico in the Roman Revival style. The building served as the county's courthouse until 1977, when a new courthouse was erected. It was subsequently designated the General District Courts Building.
Prince William County Courthouse is a historic courthouse located at 9248 Lee Avenue, Manassas, Prince William County, Virginia. Rehabilitated in 2000–2001, it currently houses some offices of the Prince William County clerk, and the historic courtroom upstairs can be rented for events.
Surry County Courthouse Complex is a historic courthouse complex located at Surry, Surry County, Virginia. The complex consists of the county courthouse, old clerk's office (1825–1826), VPI Extension office, the Commonwealth Attorney's office, the Commissioner of Revenue's office, a storage building, a Confederate memorial, and general district court building. The county courthouse building was built in 1923, and is a two-story, seven-bay, Classical Revival style brick building. It features a hexastyle Ionic order portico that dominates its front facade.
Sussex County Courthouse Historic District is a historic courthouse complex and national historic district located at Sussex, Sussex County, Virginia. The district encompasses four buildings in the complex: the clerk's office (1924), the court house, the County Office Building, jail and the Dillard House. Other buildings are the mid-19th century county treasurer's office and the John Bannister House. The county courthouse building was built in 1828 by Dabney Cosby, and is a two-story, seven-bay, Jeffersonian Classicism style brick building. It has a cross-gable roof with cupola and features a three-bay arcade, one-bay deep with five rounded arches, on its front facade. A six-bay brick addition was built in 1954. The building is one of a number of county courthouses inspired by the architecture of Thomas Jefferson, who employed its builder Dabney Cosby in the building of the University of Virginia.
Greensville County Courthouse Complex is a historic courthouse complex located at South Main Street between Hicksford Avenue and Spring Street in Emporia, Virginia. The three contributing buildings are the two-story, porticoed courthouse built in 1834, the clerk's office built in 1894, and the former Greensville Bank Building, now the county administrator's office, in 1900 and 1907. The courthouse originally took a Palladian form, but was remodeled between 1907 and 1910 to take a Beaux-Arts appearance. The clerk's office was considerably enlarged in 1916 and the Georgian-style facade added in 1961. The interior of the county administrator's office features elaborate pressed-tin walls and ceilings manufactured by the local concern, H.T. Klugel. The buildings are set upon the courthouse square, which includes a cannon honoring residents who participated in World War I, and a Confederate monument.
The Birthplace of Patrick Henry (1736–1799), the Founding Father and American statesman from Virginia, was a farmhouse called "Studley", located in what is now the village of Studley in Hanover County, Virginia. The house, a two-story brick structure, was built in the 1720s by John Symes, whose wife Sarah married Patrick Henry's father John after Symes died. Patrick Henry was born in the house on May 29, 1736. By 1796 the farmstead included a significant number of outbuildings. The house was destroyed by fire in 1807, and now only archaeological remnants remain.