Rice's Hotel
Also known as: Hughlett's Tavern; Shirley Hotel; VDHR File No. 66-9; See Also:
Why it's listed
Rice's Hotel, also known as Hughlett's Tavern, is a two-story frame building about 110 feet long beside the Northumberland County courthouse in Heathsville. It grew in four stages. The original late-eighteenth-century section, measuring 32 by 16 feet, retains pit-sawn oak framing. In the 1830s the tavern was tripled in size and given a two-story front piazza, a ballroom, double parlors and a row of small upstairs rooms reached by a long passage. The Rice family bought it in 1866 and ran it as a hotel for more than sixty years, adding a north wing around 1880-81 and a private family wing in the 1920s. The nomination argues that the building is a typical courthouse tavern whose plan reflects growing concern for traveler privacy and the need for entertaining space. Ruined early-nineteenth-century outbuildings, a smokehouse and a kitchen, stand behind it. The property is currently vacant.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as a rare, well-preserved example of a Virginia courthouse tavern, with a surviving eighteenth-century core and later additions that show changing travelers' needs for privacy and entertainment. It is described as perhaps the largest traditional tavern in any Virginia town east of Fredericksburg and north of Gloucester Court House. Its early framing also shows hand-craft building methods no longer used.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 92001389, listed October 15, 1992. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Jct. of Co. Rts. 1001 and 1002, Heathsville |
|---|---|
| County | Northumberland County |
| Listed | October 15, 1992 |
| Reference number | 92001389 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Early Republic: Federal; Mid-19th Century: Greek Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Historic - Non-Aboriginal |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as vacant/not in use as its current function; the outbuildings behind it are ruins. |
| Acreage | 1.2 |
| Coordinates | 37.91692, -76.47304 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 92001389.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14713126
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.