{"nrhp_refnum":"69000257","name":"Boswell's Tavern","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Jct. of VA 22 and U.S. 15","address_restricted":false,"city":"Gordonsville","county":"Louisa County","state":"VA","lat":38.070719813500034,"lon":-78.18313111553098,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1969-11-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A mid-eighteenth-century frame crossroads tavern on the north side of Route 22, near its intersection with Route 15, in the Gordonsville vicinity of Louisa County, Virginia. It has a two-story public section and an attached innkeeper's wing.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it one of the most complete mid-eighteenth-century taverns surviving in Virginia, offering a clear picture of how an early crossroads public house operated. It is thought to have been run by Col. John Boswell, who gave it a wide reputation for hospitality. During the Revolutionary War Lafayette encamped there, and the Marquis de Chastellux praised its hospitality in his memoirs.","narrative":"Boswell's Tavern is a frame roadside inn on the north side of Route 22 near Gordonsville in Louisa County, Virginia. Its public section is a three-bay, two-story building with a gable roof and two exterior end chimneys. An innkeeper's wing, originally one and one-half stories, was later raised to two full stories. The interior keeps its original stairway, wainscoting made of wide horizontal boards, hat pegs, and the caged window between the bar area and the front porch, though the bar itself is gone. The smokehouse survives in the yard. The original owner is unknown, but Col. John Boswell is thought to have operated the tavern during its most important years, earning a wide reputation for hospitality. Lafayette camped here during the Revolutionary War before moving to cut off Cornwallis from the supply center at Charlottesville. The Marquis de Chastellux also praised the Boswells' hospitality. It is considered one of the most complete mid-eighteenth-century taverns remaining in Virginia.","period_of_significance":"18th Century","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as renovated in the past decade, in an excellent state of repair and well maintained; the form marks it occupied and in good condition.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:57.161565-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/5/6817/41681705/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/69000257.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/69000257/45d663e484-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/69000257/45d663e484-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Jack Boucher","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boswell%27s_Tavern,_Route_22_vicinity,_Gordonsville_vicinity_(Louisa_County,_Virginia).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jack Boucher</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boswell%27s_Tavern,_Route_22_vicinity,_Gordonsville_vicinity_(Louisa_County,_Virginia).jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"73002036","name":"Green Springs Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/virginia/green-springs-historic-district-73002036/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41681705","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boswell%27s_Tavern","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4948327"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/louisa-county/boswells-tavern-69000257/"}