{"nrhp_refnum":"07000276","name":"Tinsley Tavern","other_names":["Tinsleyville Tavern","VDHR File No.:037-0032"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2791 Elk Island Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Columbia","county":"Goochland County","state":"VA","lat":37.76291322450004,"lon":-78.09905278430152,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2007-04-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Transportation","Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Tinsley Tavern is a two-story frame Federal-style house built circa 1802 at 2791 Elk Island Road near Columbia, Goochland County, Virginia, on the old Charlottesville to Richmond stage road. It was long known as a drover's tavern and dwelling.","why_significant":"The nomination argues for Criterion A through the building's link to the movement of livestock and travelers along the Charlottesville to Richmond stage road and their lodging at a drover's inn. It also qualifies under Criterion C for Federal-period features such as the side-gabled roof, end chimneys and mantelpieces. The tavern was run by John Tinsley's widow, Ann, until her death in 1836.","narrative":"Tinsley Tavern is a two-story, three-bay frame house built around 1802 beside the old Charlottesville to Richmond stage road in Goochland County, Virginia. Its weatherboard walls rest on a solid brick foundation, and a one-and-one-half story kitchen addition was added about 1920. Inside, the center-passage plan survives, along with heart pine floors, wainscoting with historic paint, original doors, and Federal mantels with fluted pilasters and dentils. In the early 1800s herds of cattle and sheep moved along this road, and the building's size and form suggest it served as both a dwelling and a tavern for travelers and drovers. John Tinsley bought the land in 1802, and after his death in 1815 his widow, Ann, obtained licenses to keep an ordinary and later a house of private entertainment, operating the tavern until 1836. The property is significant for its role in regional transportation and commerce and as an example of Federal-period architecture. It is currently vacant but structurally stable.","period_of_significance":"1802 - 1920","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Federal","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"The house is in fair condition and structurally stable, with a recently repaired roof; its current function is listed as vacant, not in use.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:03.444703-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/97/6809/41680997/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/07000276.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/07000276/12d88383eb-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/07000276/12d88383eb-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tinsley_Tavern_driveway.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tinsley_Tavern_driveway.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41680997","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinsley_Tavern","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16901720"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/goochland-county/tinsley-tavern-07000276/"}