Mosby Tavern
Encyclopedia
Mosby Tavern, also called Old Cumberland Courthouse or Littleberry Mosby House, is a National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 building in Powhatan County, Virginia. Located southeast of the intersection of U.S. Route 60
U.S. Route 60 in Virginia
U.S. Route 60 in Virginia runs west to east through the central part of the state, generally close to and paralleling the Interstate 64 corridor, except for the crossing of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and in the South Hampton Roads area....

 and State Route 629 in Powhatan County, Virginia, with a street address of 2625 Old Tavern Road, it began as a small one-room house built by Benjamin Mosby in 1740, and remains a private residence today.

Mosby Tavern was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on April 11, 2003, and a monument was dedicated at the site on June 15, 2008.

History

Originally located in Goochland County
Goochland County, Virginia
Goochland County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 21,717. Its county seat is Goochland. It is located in the Richmond-Petersburg region and is a portion of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area ....

, Mosby Tavern was in the western part of the county which became Cumberland County
Cumberland County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,017 people, 3,528 households, and 2,487 families residing in the county. The population density was 30 people per square mile . There were 4,085 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile...

 in 1749. From the county formation until the formation of Powhatan County
Powhatan County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 22,377 people, 7,258 households, and 5,900 families residing in the county. The population density was 86 people per square mile . There were 7,509 housing units at an average density of 29 per square mile...

 in 1777, Mosby Tavern served as the Cumberland County courthouse and jail, as well as being a tavern
Tavern
A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food, and in some cases, where travelers receive lodging....

 and the private residence of the Mosby family. This, plus a popular racetrack across the road, made Mosby Tavern the center of the community. During the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...

 the tavern also served as a rendezvous for the county militia.

For at least 100 years from its construction, Mosby Tavern was used as a private residence by the Mosby family, owned by: Benjamin Mosby, who purchased the land and constructed the original building in 1740; Colonel Littleberry Mosby Sr (also spelled "Littlebury") (17??-1809?); General Littleberry Mosby
Littleberry Mosby
Littleberry C. Mosby Jr. was an American military officer. During the American Revolutionary War, he served in the Continental Army as a captain in the 2nd Georgia Regiment, and was captured at the Siege of Savannah in 1778. After his release, he served as a major commanding a cavalry battalion...

 Jr (1757–1821), who was the third child, but the oldest living son at the time of his father's death, and who was so disappointed that many family members left the area that he made Littleberry III's inheritance conditional on the condition his return to Virginia; Edward Mosby, Littleberry Jr's younger brother, to whom Mosby Tavern passed when Littleberry III died in Tennessee without returning.

The tavern was also used as the Powhatan County courthouse and jail until 1779, when the county seat was moved to a newly constructed courthouse in Scottville
Powhatan, Virginia
Powhatan is an unincorporated community in and the county seat of Powhatan County, Virginia, United States. Powhatan was initially known as Scottville for a brief time, and historically has also been known as Powhatan Court House and Powhatan Courthouse...

. After 1779 Mosby Tavern generally ceased to be used for public meetings, although the stature of the Mosby family in the area meant that even without official standing their home continued to play a major role in the social life of the area.

Architecture

Mosby Tavern began as a small one-room house built by Benjamin Mosby in 1740. By the time Benjamin's grandson, Littleberry Mosby Jr
Littleberry Mosby
Littleberry C. Mosby Jr. was an American military officer. During the American Revolutionary War, he served in the Continental Army as a captain in the 2nd Georgia Regiment, and was captured at the Siege of Savannah in 1778. After his release, he served as a major commanding a cavalry battalion...

, owned it in the early nineteenth century it was a one-story, hall-parlor plan
Hall and parlor house
A hall and parlor house is a type of vernacular house found in medieval to 19th century England, as well as colonial America. It is presumed to have been the model on which other North American house types have been developed such as the Cape Cod house and the Saltbox and influenced the somewhat...

frame dwelling shown on early nineteenth century insurance policies as 34' by 28'. According to tax records, the property value increased substantially in 1849 and 1859, and it is likely that most of the major additions were made during that time, expanding the house to a center hall-plan, two-story frame building with single-story wings. A two-story rear addition was constructed around 1950, and a rear porch was added in 1988, bringing the house to its present form.
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