Old Isle of Wight Courthouse

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Old Isle of Wight Courthouse
Smithfield colonial courthouse.JPG
Old Isle of Wight Courthouse
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Old Isle of Wight Courthouse
Interactive map showing the location of Old Isle of Wight Courthouse
LocationNE corner of Main and Mason Sts., Smithfield, Virginia
Coordinates 36°58′54″N76°37′56″W / 36.98167°N 76.63222°W / 36.98167; -76.63222
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1750
Part of Smithfield Historic District (ID73002022 [1] )
NRHP reference No. 70000802
VLR No.300-0002
Significant dates
Added to NRHPSeptember 15, 1970
Designated CPJuly 2, 1973
Designated VLRJune 2, 1970 [2]

The Old Isle of Wight Courthouse was built in 1750-51 [3] and was used as the main courthouse for Isle of Wight County, Virginia until a new courthouse was built at Isle of Wight, Virginia in 1800. It is located in the Historic District in the town of Smithfield.

Contents

History

During its 50 years of use as the county courthouse, it was considered the center of life in Isle of Wight and in the town of Smithfield, which was incorporated in 1752. [4] It was constructed by William Rand, and featured a distinctive semi-circular apse and conical roof found in many English churches of the period and echoing the Colonial Capitol in Williamsburg. [5] An adjacent clerk's office was constructed in 1799, although it was only in use for its intended purpose for a year, before the new courthouse at Isle of Wight was constructed. The old Smithfield courthouse was later modified into a family residence. To do so, the arcade was blocked and the roof converted to a gable. [3]

Preservation

The courthouse and clerk's office were acquired by Preservation Virginia in 1938 and an extensive restoration project was completed in 1959. [4]

Recreated interior, seen in 2011 Old Isle of Wight Courthouse - interior.JPG
Recreated interior, seen in 2011

A second restoration of the courthouse was undertaken in the late 1990s with the help of Colonial Williamsburg consultants and craftsmen, in which the interior was modified to more accurately recreate the appearance of a typical Virginia courthouse of the period.

The building is one of four remaining examples of arcaded colonial courthouses. [6]

In 2013, ownership passed from Preservation Virginia to the non-profit Historic Smithfield. A semi-independent committee within Historic Smithfield known as 1750 Isle of Wight Courthouse raises money for the continued maintenance and restoration of the building and makes it available to the public, free of charge, year-round.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isle of Wight County, Virginia</span> County in Virginia, United States

Isle of Wight County is a county located in the Hampton Roads region of the U.S. state of Virginia. It was named after the Isle of Wight, England, south of the Solent, from where many of its early colonists had come. As of the 2020 census, the population was 38,606. Its county seat is Isle of Wight, an unincorporated community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smithfield, Virginia</span> Town in Virginia, United States

Smithfield is a town in Isle of Wight County, in the South Hampton Roads subregion of the Hampton Roads region of Virginia in the United States. The population was 8,533 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colonial Williamsburg</span> Historic district of Williamsburg, Virginia, US

Colonial Williamsburg is a living-history museum and private foundation presenting a part of the historic district in the city of Williamsburg, Virginia. Its 301-acre (122 ha) historic area includes several hundred restored or recreated buildings from the 18th century, when the city was the capital of the Colony of Virginia; 17th-century, 19th-century, and Colonial Revival structures; and more recent reconstructions. The historic area includes three main thoroughfares and their connecting side streets that attempt to suggest the atmosphere and the circumstances of 18th-century Americans. Costumed employees work and dress as people did in the era, sometimes using colonial grammar and diction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Preservation Virginia</span>

Founded in 1889, the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities was the United States' first statewide historic preservation group. In 2003 the organization adopted the new name APVA Preservation Virginia to reflect a broader focus on statewide Preservation and in 2009 it shortened its name to Preservation Virginia. Preservation Virginia owns historic sites across Virginia including Historic Jamestowne, located at Jamestown, Virginia, site of the first permanent English settlement in North America, and the Cape Henry Light house, one of the first public works projects of the United States of America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capitol (Williamsburg, Virginia)</span> United States historic place

The Capitol at Williamsburg, Virginia housed both Houses of the Virginia General Assembly, the Council of State and the House of Burgesses of the Colony of Virginia from 1705, when the capital was relocated there from Jamestown, until 1780, when the capital was relocated to Richmond. Two capitol buildings served the colony on the same site: the first from 1705 until its destruction by fire in 1747; the second from 1753 to 1780.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carter's Grove</span> Historic plantation in Virginia, United States

Carter's Grove, also known as Carter's Grove Plantation, is a 750-acre (300 ha) plantation located on the north shore of the James River in the Grove Community of southeastern James City County in the Virginia Peninsula area of the Hampton Roads region of Virginia in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Historic Jamestown</span> Cultural heritage site in Virginia, United States

Historic Jamestown is the cultural heritage site that was the location of the 1607 James Fort and the later 17th-century town of Jamestown in America. It is located on Jamestown Island, on the James River at Jamestown, Virginia, and operated as a partnership between Preservation Virginia and the U.S. National Park Service as part of Colonial National Historical Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Luke's Church (Smithfield, Virginia)</span> Historic church in Isle of Wight County, Virginia, US

St. Luke's Church, also known as Old Brick Church, or Newport Parish Church, is a historic church building, located in the unincorporated community of Benns Church, near Smithfield in Isle of Wight County, Virginia, United States. It is the oldest church in Virginia and oldest church in British North America of brick construction. According to local tradition the structure was built in 1632, but other evidence points to a date of 1682; see Dating controversy.

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The Peyton Randolph House, also known as the Randolph-Peachy House, is a historic house museum in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. Its oldest portion dating to about 1715, it is one of the museum's oldest surviving buildings. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1973 as the home of Founding Father Peyton Randolph (1721–1775), the first and third President of the Continental Congress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Fork Church</span> Historic church in Virginia, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Debtors' Prison (Accomac, Virginia)</span> United States historic place

The Debtors' Prison is a historic debtors' prison in Accomac, Virginia. Constructed in 1783 as a house for the Accomack County jailer, it is the oldest public structure in the county. It was converted to use as a debtors' prison in 1824, which purpose it served until 1849. The prison was added to the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places in 1976; along with structures in Worsham and Tappahannock, both in Virginia as well, it is one of only three debtors' prisons in the country on the National Register.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Debtors' Prison (Worsham, Virginia)</span> United States historic place

The Debtors' Prison is a historic debtors' prison building located in Worsham, Virginia. Constructed in 1787, it is one of three such prisons, all listed on the National Register of Historic Places, remaining in Virginia; the other two are in Accomac and Tappahannock. Of the three, only the one in Worsham was constructed of wood. It is the oldest surviving public building in Prince Edward County, and dates to the time when Worsham was the county seat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Historic Fairfax County Courthouse</span> Historic courthouse in Virginia, United States

The Historic Fairfax County Courthouse is one of the oldest buildings in Fairfax, Virginia. It was constructed in 1799 to serve as the seat of government in Fairfax County. During the American Civil War, the first Confederate officer casualty of the war took place on the courthouse grounds and the building was occupied by both sides in the conflict. Today, the original courthouse building is part of the larger courthouse site that serves the local government of Fairfax County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northampton County Courthouse Historic District</span> Historic district in Virginia, United States

The Northampton County Courthouse Historic District is a nine-acre historic district in Northampton County, Virginia. The district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Three buildings are located on the property: A courthouse and a clerk's office, and a prison. The buildings house documents dating back to 1632. It is included in the Eastville Historic District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pear Valley</span> Historic house in Virginia, United States

Pear Valley is a one-room yeoman's cottage and prime example of vernacular architecture in Eastville, Virginia. The modest embellishments and its high level of preservation make it one of the most architecturally interesting examples of small, historic homes in Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smithfield Historic District (Virginia)</span> Historic district in Virginia, United States

Smithfield Historic District is a national historic district located at Smithfield, Isle of Wight County, Virginia. It encompasses 289 contributing buildings and 2 contributing structures in the historic downtown and surrounding residential areas of Smithfield. There are 211 houses, 37 commercial buildings, 1 warehouse, 4 churches, 10 barns, 1 smokehouse, 23 garages, 1 farm office, 1 colonial kitchen, and 2 corncrib structures. Notable buildings include the original county clerk's office (1799), county jail, Wentworth-Barrett House, Wentworth–Grinnan House, King-Atkinson House, Smith-Morrison House (1770s), Hayden Hall, Boykin House, Goodrich House (1886), Thomas House (1889), Smithfield Academy (1827), Christ Episcopal Church, and Hill Street Baptist Church (1923). Located in the district and separately listed are the Old Isle of Wight Courthouse, Smithfield Inn, Windsor Castle Farm, and P. D. Gwaltney Jr. House.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastville Historic District</span> Historic district in Virginia, United States

Eastville Historic District is a national historic district located at Eastville, Northampton County, Virginia. The district encompasses 315 contributing buildings, 7 contributing sites, and 4 contributing structures in the county seat of Northampton County. The historic district contains a wide variety of residential, commercial, governmental, educational, social, religious, and funerary resources dating from 1731. Notable buildings include the courthouse (1731), clerk's office, Park Hall, Eastville Inn, Ingleside, Hickory Grounds, Maria Robins House, the Old Brick Store, Abdell Funeral Home, Edward Holland House, and Ailworth Hall. Also located in the district are the separately listed Cessford, Eastville Mercantile, and James Brown's Dry Goods Store.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richmond County Courthouse (Virginia)</span> Historic courthouse in Virginia

Richmond County Courthouse is a historic courthouse building located at Warsaw, Richmond County, Virginia. It was built between 1748 and 1750, and is a one-story Colonial-era brick building with a hipped roof. It measures approximately 52 feet by 41 feet. During a remodeling in 1877, the original arcade was bricked up and incorporated into the main building. Also on the property is a contemporary clerk's office. The buildings were built by planter Landon Carter (1710–1778).

Elizabeth Bray Allen also known as Elizabeth Bray Allen Smith Stith operated a large plantation after the death of her first husband, Arthur Allen. After the death of her second husband, she operated both the Allen and Smith estates. She provided the direction and funds to establish a free school for poor boys and girls in Smithfield, Virginia.

Arthur Smith IV was a British colonial landowner, politician, and captain who incorporated Smithfield, Virginia, served as one of the town's founding trustees, and briefly represented Isle of Wight County in the Virginia House of Burgesses.

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  3. 1 2 The Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (1989). Preserving Virginia 1889-1989: Centennial Pictorial. The Art Bank.
  4. 1 2 Couture, Richard (1984). To Preserve and Protect. Dallas, TX: Taylor Publishing Co. p. 93.
  5. "Old Isle of Wight Courthouse". Historical Marker Database. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
  6. "Isle of Wight Courthouse". Preservation Virginia. Retrieved 29 June 2011.

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