Walkerton Tavern was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984; the listing included five contributing buildings and one contributing site.[1]
Walkerton | |
 | |
   | |
| Location | Mountain Rd., Glen Allen, Virginia |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 37°39′53″N 77°29′38″W / 37.66472°N 77.49389°W |
| Area | 1.7 acres (0.69 ha) |
| Built | 1825 |
| NRHP reference No. | 84000676[1] |
| VLR No. | 043-0019 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | December 6, 1984 |
| Designated VLR | October 16, 1984[2] |
History
editThe main structure was built in 1825.[3]
Condition at the time of listing
editAt the time of the property's listing on the National Register in 1984, it was occupied and privately owned by George D. Bowles; its accessibility was limited. The property was noted as one of the best-preserved antebellum-era taverns in central Virginia and perhaps "the most impressive building of its type ever erected in Central Virginia."[3]
Presidential visit
editPresident Barack Obama visited the site and held a rally as part of a campaign tour for his second presidential election.[4]
Architecture
editThe tavern is a brick structure with 4 stories of living space. It is more architecturally significant than other hostelries in the region of the same period. It has a double set of internal stairways, one set intended for guests and the other for the family and servants.[3]
The main building also has an unusual semi-enclosed gable-end service porch and a unique swinging vertical-board partition, which allowed one of the upstairs rooms to serve as a temporary dance hall.[3]
Some of the features that made the property distinctive were gone as of the time of its 1984 listing, including a caged bar, a plank walkway from the carriage stop to the front porch, three separate detached ice houses, and a stable with stalls for twenty horses.[3]
Remaining early outbuildings
editSome outbuildings remain from the time when the building was initially in operation: these are the servants' quarters, a well-house, a smokehouse, and a carriage-house/outhouse.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f O'Dell, Jeffrey (October 16, 1984). "National Register of Historic Places - Nomination Form" (PDF).
- ^ "Downpour soaks Obama and enthusiastic supporters at Virginia stump speech". NBC News. 2012-07-14. Retrieved 2024-10-31.