Colonial Williamsburg Digital Library

WILLIAMSBURG — JAMES CITY COURT
HOUSE Block 19, # 3. September 8, 1933

DIGEST OF DATA.

Court House built 1770, stone porch and steps, with carved nosing. The porch did not have columns. It contained a court room and three jury rooms in 1777 which were whitewashed. There were two fireplaces in the building in 1777 equipped with iron grates. The building was badly damaged in the Revolution and in the War Between the States and in 1911 its interior was burned.

WILLIAMSBURG — JAMES CITY COURT HOUSE Block 19, #3.
September 8, 1933.

After using the old Levingston playhouse for a Hustings Court for a number of years the City of Williamsburg arranged for a tax levy to raise funds to build a Court House. The money was insufficient and in order to erect the building they joined with James City County to erect a joint Court house.

The site desired for the building was in the York County portion of Williamsburg so a special act was passed in November, 1769 annexing the present Court House Green to James City County.

The following advertisement was printed in the Virginia Gazette:

Thursday, March 23, 1769
WILLIAMSBURG

THE COMMON HALL having this day determined to build a commodious BRICK COURT-HOUSE, in this City, and having appointed us to agree with an undertaker to build the same; we do hereby give notice that we will meet at Mr. Hay's on Tuesday the 4th of April, to let the building thereof. We are also appointed to dispose of the present Court-House and the ground on which the same stands.
JAMES COCKE
JAMES CARTER
JOHN CARTER
JOHN TAZEWELL

N.B. The plan of the above Court-House may be seen at Mr Hay's at any time.

(Virginia Gazette - William Rind, Ed.)

The stone steps in front of the Court House were procured from Samuel Martin, and their receipt was acknowledged by William Nelson:

I am particularly to thank you for procuring the stone steps for the Court House in Williamsburg, which came in good Order & was to the entire Satisfaction of those concerned in the Building. M^r Nicholas, I expect, will acknowledge your civility in sending them Freight free.Letter Book of William Nelson — Letter to Samuel Martin, Esq., Va. July 2, 1772.(William and Mary Quarterly- Vol. VII - 1899. page 29)

There is an account in Humphrey Harwood's Ledger for repairs and changes to the Court House made in 1777:

Edmund Randolph Esq^r (for Court House)

1777
January 29	To 12 bushs lime 9/. hair 9d Medg plastering 2/. & labours work 2/6	-:14: 3
	To Whitewashing Court Room 17/6 & 2½ bushels of Whitewash 3/9	1: 1: 3
February 27	To 12 Bushs of 9/. 250 bricks 6/10½. 3 Days labour 6/	1: 1:10½
	To Cuting away Chimney & Working in 2 New Grates 17/6. & plasterg House of	1:17: 6
	To 2 Iron Grates & barrs wt 137 lb. @ 9d. & 3 days labour @ 2/	5: 8: 9
	To 250 larths 2/6. 750 Nails 7/6. 10:18: 5½	-:10:
April 15	To Whitewashing 3 Jurey Rooms @ 8/.	1: 4:
		11:17: 7½

(Harwood, Humphrey - Ms. Ledger, B-5.)

During the Revolution the Court House, like many other public buildings was pressed into service as a barrack according to the following letter from Benjamin Waller on Dec. 18, 1781 to the Governor:

Benj. Waller to the Governor
December 18, 1781.

By law the Court of Admiralty is appointed to be held at the Capitol in this city, as the most convenient Place for the Judges and Suitors, the house is, and for some Time past has been, full of sick French Soldiers; And the Town Court House is used as a Barrack; so that the Court by consent of the Parties has been lately held in my office, which with much Intercession is left empty…

(Calendar of State Papers - Vol. 2. p. 666)

Auctions were frequently held on the Court House steps and there is a possibility that this was the reason for the absence of columns on the porch. There is conclusive evidence in early photographs, records, and water colors that the Court House did not have columns prior to the War Between the States and for sometime thereafter.

There is also a question of the color of the stone steps. Mr. Charles, whose recollections have been consistent and dependable describes them as red, and the Cranston water color depicts them as gray. The Cranston water color, however, are not necessarily dependable in this particular.

Mr. Charles' description of the Court House "before the War" follows:

The old "Court House" has now much the appearance that it did when negroes were hired and sold in front of it. The porch in front had no columns, as is seen today. The roof projected 4 over the porch, as it does today; but was supported by big timbers that were fastened with iron straps to immense roof beams on the inside.

There were four rooms, two in the eastern wing, and two in the western wing; but after the War the clerk's office, which stood on Francis Street, being burned, the two eastern jury rooms were thrown into one for the clerk's office as it is today. The original steps to the court house were made of red sand stone with moulding out of the front edge which made them attractive. These have been supplanted by the present cement steps. It is said that the old clock on Bruton Church steeple was removed from the court house to where it would receive better care.

(Mr. Charles' Recollections)

During the War Between the States the Court House was used for military purposes and was so damaged that for some time after the War Court was held in the basement of the Baptist Church and in the home of Judge Charles C. P. Waller (in the Market Square Tavern).

On April 6, 1911 the Court House burned. The inside woodwork and flooring were destroyed but the outer walls remained. When the building was rebuilt the rooms were fire proofed.