It's just a few miles west on SR 58 from North Bend Park to Boydton, VA. We stopped in downtown Boydton so Kitty could check out a quilt shop. While she was in the quilt shop, I walked over to get a closer look at the historic tavern.
Boydton is a very small town with a population of about of around 450 people. It is the county seat for Mecklenburg county. One of the main reasons such a small town was selected as the county seat was because it had a tavern. You've got to admire folks that select a county seat because it has a tavern!
The town founder, Alexander Boyd Sr., migrated here from Scotland, and built the original building back in 1790. Since then, it has evolved into a rambling frame structure. But, the tavern was a very popular gathering place. During the civil war, Confederate troops used the tavern as a gathering place. The tavern closed late in the 19th century, and it was converted into a boarding school, and later into apartments.
Inside, much of the structure has been restored. On my tour, I was shown a couple of these areas inside that have been untouched for about 200 years. The original floor has no end-to-end joints. So, if the room was 30 or 40 feet long, the floor boards were one continuous length. A few pieces of furniture are believed to be original and there are paintings of various members of the Boyd family. Alexander Boyd, Sr., was a prominent leader in this area until his untimely death while serving as county judge in the court house.
It is believed that the early structure also served as a court house until the county's formation in the 1830's. However, this is only speculation at this time.
Since 1988, the care and restoration of the structure has been under the guidance of Boyd Tavern Foundation. It is now listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
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