PAGE
ALBEMARLE COUNTY COURT HOUSE 2
TARLETON AND JACK JOUETT. 3
PRESENT COURT HOUSE BUILDING 4
JEFFERSON’S WILL 5
COURT HOUSE VOTING 5
JOHN S. MOSBY. 6
BUILDINGS ON THE SQUARE 7
TOWN HALL 7
SWAN TAVERN 7
SLAVE TRADE 8
VILLAGE LIBRARY 9
SWISS WATCH-MAKER 9
EAGLE TAVERN 9
“SATAN’S THUMB” 10
CIVIL WAR PERIOD 11
SHERIDAN’S RAID 11
ESCAPE FROM GALLOWS 12
MILITARY OCCUPATION 13
ALBEMARLE’S SHRINES 16
MONTICELLO 16
ASH LAWN 16
BUILDING OF ASH LAWN 18
SALE OF ASH LAWN 18
BOXWOOD GARDEN AND STATUE 19
THE MICHIE TAVERN 20
CHARLOTTESVILLE’S STATUES 22
LEWIS AND CLARK STATUE 22
LOCATION OF STATUE 22
MERIWETHER LEWIS 22
WILLIAM CLARK 23
LOUISIANA PURCHASE. 23
STONEWALL JACKSON STATUE 24
GEORGE ROGERS CLARK STATUE 26
LEE STATUE 27
MINIATURE MODEL OF LEE 29
ENVOI 30
[Illustration: COURT SQUARE
1828
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA
Floyd Johnson _Courtesy of Alb. Co. Hist. Soc._]
[Illustration: Albemarle County Courthouse. Built 1803. _J. Rawlings
Thomson_]
HISTORICAL GUIDE TO OLD CHARLOTTESVILLE
WITH MENTION OF ITS STATUES AND OF
ALBEMARLE’S SHRINES
Upon the forming of the County of Albemarle in 1745, its boundaries
included what are now Buckingham, Amherst, Nelson, and Fluvanna
Counties, with parts of Appomattox and Campbell—the Blue Ridge being the
Western line. The county seat was then placed in Scottsville on the
James, but with final boundary adjustments in 1761 it was felt necessary
to remove the court house to a more central site. Thus Charlottesville
was not a town of natural growth, but a political creation. It was
formed by Act of Assembly, November 5th, 1761, to take effect January
1st, 1762. The name was bestowed in honor of Princess Charlotte, bride
of George III.
The Court House Square was owned by the County, and adjoined the town on
the North. A court house was erected promptly, but for some years town
growth was slow, and as late as 1779 the village was said to contain
only about a dozen houses. In 1835 it consisted of “about 200 handsome
and comfortable dwellings, generally of brick, 4 houses of worship, 3
large hotels, 1 tavern, 2 book stores, 2 druggist stores, and about 20
mercantile establishments.”
The court house and its environs now constitute Old Charlottesville, and
some account of the locality will be found in the ensuing pages.