Tappahannock Historic District

Tappahannock Historic District covers roughly 25 acres along the Rappahannock River in Essex County, Virginia. It follows Prince, Duke and Water Streets and includes the county government center, a small commercial stretch, residences and the grounds of St. Margaret's School. Buildings range from the early eighteenth century to the mid-nineteenth century, among them the Ritchie House, the Custom's House, Scot's Arms Tavern, the Debtor's Prison, the Old Clerk's Office and the 1848 Greek Revival courthouse. The 1728 courthouse survives as Beale Memorial Baptist Church. The town grew from a village patented in 1645 and chartered in 1682, and became the Essex County seat in 1692. In the nineteenth century it was home to Spencer Roane, Thomas Ritchie and John Brockenbrough, cousins who helped the Republican party hold national influence. The district was recognized for these political and maritime links and for its low-scale architecture.