The plan of the footings (fig. 60) shows a T-shaped foundation. This was
an immediate clue to the nature of the structure, for the T-shaped
courthouse was virtually a standard 18th-century form in Virginia. This
foundation, in fact, is almost a replica of the plans of both King
William and Hanover County courthouses, each built about 1734[169]
(figs. 5, 61, and 62).
The King William courthouse measures 50 feet 4-1/4 inches long and 26
feet 4 inches wide in the main structure. Its T section extends 14 feet
9 inches to the original end (to which an extension has been added) and
has a width of 23 feet 10-1/4 inches. The Stafford foundation is 52 feet
long and 26 feet wide in the main structure. The T-section is 14 feet 5
inches long and 25 feet wide. A closer comparison could scarcely be
expected.
Hanover's length is 52 feet 4-1/2 inches, the width of the main section
27 feet 10 inches, while the T-section is 15 feet 2-1/2 inches long (in
its original part) and 26 feet 7 inches wide.
A third example, completed in 1736, is the Charles City County
courthouse.[170] The measurements of this building are not available to
us, but close examination of photographs discloses a building of about
the same size.
The earliest of these T-shaped buildings thus far recorded was the York
County courthouse, completed in 1733. Destroyed in 1814, its site has
been excavated by the National Park Service. Its foundation, measuring
59 feet 10 inches in length and 52 feet in full depth, including the T,
was somewhat larger than the others known to us. The records show that
it was rather elaborate, with imported-stone floors and compass-head
windows.[171]
All these buildings had arcaded verandas. Marcus Whiffen raises the
question as to which of them, if any, was the prototype, then concludes
by speculating that none was, and that all four may have derived from
the 1715 courthouse at Williamsburg, the dimensions of which, however,
remain unknown. The introduction of the loggia first at the College of
William and Mary and then at the capitol led him to postulate that its
use in a courthouse also would have originated in Williamsburg.[172] The
Stafford foundation showed no trace of stone paving where an arcade
might have been, but, since virtually all the bricks had been taken
away, it is likely that such a valuable commodity as flagstones also
would have been removed as soon as the building was destroyed or
dismantled. Two brick piers at the west end of the structure (fig. 36)
remain a mystery. They are equidistant from the longitudinal walls, and
may have been the foundations for a chimney. However, their positions do
not relate to the floor or chimney plans at Hanover or King William
courthouses, the other features of which are so nearly comparable. One
would suppose every basic characteristic of the Stafford building would
have been the same as in these buildings. The piers were perhaps late
additions or modifications.
The roof was apparently of wood; there were no evidences of slate
shingles. The bricks were approximately 8-1/2 inches by 4 inches by
2-3/4 inches, and were probably laid in a patterned Flemish bond, as at
Hanover or King William, since some of the bricks were glazed. No lead
or other signs of "calmes" used in leaded sash were found, so we must
assume that the 1665 courthouse was built elsewhere.