Mosby Tavern
Also known as: Littleberry Mosby House; Cumberland Old Courthouse
Why it's listed
Mosby Tavern is a two-story frame house with flanking one-story wings beside U.S. Route 60 in western Powhatan County, Virginia. Its oldest part is a one-room dwelling built about 1740 by Benjamin Mosby, who opened a portion of it as an ordinary in 1741 on the stage road linking Richmond and Lexington. The building later hosted nearly thirty years of court sessions for Cumberland and then Powhatan counties, doubled as a prison, and became known as the Old Cumberland Courthouse. It was also a militia rendezvous at the start of the Revolutionary War. Benjamin Mosby and his son Littleberry Mosby, Sr., held offices ranging from surveyor and justice of the peace to sheriff, militia colonel and member of the House of Delegates. Mid-nineteenth-century additions, including board-and-batten wings, and a mid-twentieth-century rear addition turned the small house into an I-house. Several twentieth-century farm outbuildings remain on the property, which is still a private residence.
Significance in brief: The property is significant for its role in late colonial and Revolutionary-era local government, serving as an ordinary, courthouse and prison for Cumberland and later Powhatan counties and as a militia rendezvous. It is also tied to Benjamin Mosby and his son Colonel Littleberry Mosby, Sr., who held a range of county and state offices. Its layered additions reflect the growth of vernacular architecture in Powhatan County.
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 03000214, listed April 11, 2003. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 2625 Old Tavern Rd., Powhatan |
|---|---|
| County | Powhatan County |
| Listed | April 11, 2003 |
| Reference number | 03000214 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1740-1952 |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Politics/Government, Commerce |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as a private dwelling in excellent condition, with early and mid-twentieth-century agricultural outbuildings and a late-twentieth-century pool and pool house. |
| Acreage | 20 |
| Coordinates | 37.56476, -78.03740 (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.
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 03000214.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14712898
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.