Old Isle of Wight Courthouse | |
Old Isle of Wight Courthouse | |
Location | NE corner of Main and Mason Sts., Smithfield, Virginia |
---|---|
Coordinates | 36°58′54″N76°37′56″W / 36.98167°N 76.63222°W Coordinates: 36°58′54″N76°37′56″W / 36.98167°N 76.63222°W |
Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
Built | 1750 |
Part of | Smithfield Historic District (ID73002022 [1] ) |
NRHP reference No. | 70000802 |
VLR No. | 300-0002 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | September 15, 1970 |
Designated CP | July 2, 1973 |
Designated VLR | June 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.
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]
The courthouse and clerk's office were acquired by Preservation Virginia in 1938 and an extensive restoration project was completed in 1959. [4]
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.
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 2010 census, the population was 35,270. Its county seat is Isle of Wight, an unincorporated community.
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 8,089 at the 2010 census.
Colonial Williamsburg is a living-history museum and private foundation presenting a part of the historic district in the city of Williamsburg, Virginia, United States.
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 Lighthouse, one of the first public works projects of the United States of America.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 Peyton Randolph (1721–1775), first President of the Continental Congress.
The Wythe House is a historic house on the Palace Green in Colonial Williamsburg, in Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. Built in the 1750s, it was the home of George Wythe, signer of the Declaration of Independence and father of American jurisprudence. The property was declared a National Historic Landmark on April 15, 1970.
The Kent County Courthouse, now the East Greenwich Town Hall, is a historic court building at 127 Main Street in East Greenwich, Rhode Island.
Little Fork Church stands on a low knoll to the east of State Route 229 nine miles north of Culpeper, Virginia in a small grove of trees that enhances its naturally pastoral setting. The name Little Fork is taken from the junction of the Hazel and Rappahannock Rivers relatively close to the edifice. It is a large room church being 83 ½ feet east-west and 33 ½ feet north-south. Unlike most rectangular churches in Virginia, the pulpit stands directly north of the southern entrance door that is placed in the middle of the southern wall rather than in the far southeast of the building. Thus it shows some of the architectural characteristics of middle colony meeting houses such as those in Delaware as well as the Virginia Vernacular Church and the deep church.
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.
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.
The Northampton County Courthouse Historic District is a nine-acre historic district in Northampton County, Virginia, in the United States. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
The President's House is the residence of the President of the College of William and Mary in Virginia in Williamsburg, Virginia. Constructed in 1732, the building still serves its original purpose. Since its construction only one of the college's presidents, Robert Saunders, Jr., has not moved in. The President's House is the third-oldest building at the College and the oldest official college presidential residence in the United States.
Media related to Old Isle of Wight Courthouse (Virginia) at Wikimedia Commons