Small Towns of Virginia Series

Small Towns of Virginia Series - Hanover

The Historic Hanover Courthouse Building built in 1735.

The small village of Hanover sits as the County Seat of growing Hanover County. Surrounded by centuries of history, this town of nearly 500 people along US Route 301 has lodged many famous dignitaries at an over two centuries old tavern and has been the birthplace of many notable names in American History. The historic courthouse that sits off of the main highway was built in 1735. Patrick Henry would make a name for himself here when he argued the Parson's Case in 1763.

The well-known Hanover Tavern

Directly across from the historic Courthouse building stands an equally historic location, Hanover Tavern. Since 1733, a tavern has located its site. The oldest part of the current building dates to 1791. Many well-known names in early American history stayed at the Hanover Tavern site. George Washington, Marquis de LaFayette, and Lord Cornwallis spent time here. As did Patrick Henry when he argued the 1763 Parson's case. The tavern would see years of use diminish as the automobile era lessened the need for overnight stays. The tavern would remain active through World War II, but by the 1950s, it would sit almost empty. In 1953, a group of New York actors would buy the tavern, restore it, and start the Barkdale Theatre. It was a very popular Richmond destination into the 1980s. In 1990, the Hanover Tavern Foundation was formed, and they purchased the building and the surrounding land. The group began a restoration in the mid-90s and in 2004-05 began another restoration. Today, the Hanover Tavern hosts dinners and banquets, art showings, historical reenactments, and other civic events.

The Hanover Cafe adds to the charm of modern day Hanover.

Today, Hanover is a small village that sits on US 301. It is full of history and is worth taking 30 minutes out of your travels to walk around and experience.

Site Navigation:

Return to Small Towns of Virginia Series Index

Comments

I-40 rockslide uncovers old debates on highway

The Asheville Citizen-Times continues to do a great job covering all the angles of the Interstate 40 Haywood County rock slide. An article in Sunday's edition provides a strong historical perspective on how the Pigeon River routing of Interstate 40 came about. And perhaps most strikingly, in an article that ran just prior to the highway's opening in the fall of 1968, how engineers from both Tennessee and North Carolina warned "...that slides would probably be a major problem along the route for many years." On February 12, 1969, not long after the Interstate opened, the first rock slide that would close I-40 occurred. Like many other Interstates within North Carolina, Interstate 40 through the mountains has a history prior to formation of the Interstate Highway System and was also a heated political battle between local communities. The discussion for a road that would eventually become Interstate 40 dates back to the 1940's as the idea for interregional high

Interstate 210 the Foothill Freeway

The combined Interstate 210/California State Route 210 corridor of the Foothill Freeway is approximately 85.31-miles. The Interstate 210/California State Route 210 corridor begins at Interstate 5 at the northern outskirts of Los Angeles and travels east to Interstate 10 in Redlands of San Bernardino County. Interstate 210 is presently signed on the 44.9-mile segment of the Foothill Freeway between Interstate 5 and California State Route 57. California State Route 210 makes up the remaining 40.41 miles of the Foothill Freeway east to Interstate 10. Interstate 210 is still classified by the Federal Highway Administration as existing on what is now signed as California State Route 57 from San Dimas south to Interstate 10. The focus of this blog will mostly be on the history of Interstate 210 segment of the Foothill Freeway. Part 1; the history of Interstate 210 and California State Route 210 Interstate 210 (I-210) was approved as a chargeable Interstate during September of

White Rock Road; the historic highway corridor serving Mariposa County since the 1850s

White Rock Road is a twenty-eight-mile-long highway corridor which begins at the Chowchilla River in Merced County and ends at Old Highway 18 in Mariposa County near the town site of Bridgeport. The portion of White Rock Road between the Merced County and Mariposa County line to Bridgeport (via the town site of White Rock) is one of the oldest continuously used highway corridors in California. Once known as the "Mariposa River Road" the corridor was developed in the 1850s as one of the two primary highways to the mining communities of Mariposa County. White Rock Road was bypassed in 1918 when Legislative Route Number 18 was completed between Merced and Mariposa. The corridor was for time known as Mariposa and Le Grand Road prior to the construction of Mariposa Creek Dam (formerly Mariposa River) in 1948. Following construction of the dam the roadway took the name it has now and was extended through Merced County to the Chowchilla River. Much of modern White Rock Road i

Gribblenation

Search This Blog