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| The Spotsylvania Courthouse Historic District is centered on what has been the county seat since 1839. Some of its historic structures and sites include the
following: |
 The Court House - Spotsylvania Court was first established at Germanna in 1722; moved to Fredericksburg in 1732; to the "Old Court
House" in 1778; and to its present site in 1839, when Lewis Rawlings, owner of the Tavern, gave the County 10 acres for the
Court House green. It was built the following year by masons who had worked for Thomas Jefferson during the construction
of the University of Virginia.
The battering sustained by the Court House during the Civil War necessitated major repairs
in 1870. By 1900, the building was declared unsafe; subsequently, a new, enlarged
building of similar design was constructed on the site, using cream brick instead of red. The original Doric columns
were salvaged and put in place. In 1964, the wing on the southwest corner was added to house the government offices. Spotsylvania
County Records were buried during the Civil War, and with the exception of three books which were damaged by water, the records
are complete, dating from the founding of the County in 1720-1721.
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 The Spotsylvania Jail (1855) - In 1839, the county jail, built in 1781, was transferred brick by brick to the present Court House location. Court
orders show that the sheriff and an armed party had to take possession of the jail, as the jailor refused to give them the
keys. Fourteen years later, the jail was severely damaged by fire. It was ordered that a larger jail
be built of new materials and the salvaged brick be used to construct a wall on the south and east sides of the Court House
lot. When it was completed in 1856, on a site a bit west of the original site, it consisted of six cells, three
upstairs and three downstairs.
In 1948, the building was condemned and ceased to be used as a jail. It was
renovated and used for office space and government storage. The original hand-forged iron door was returned to
the county in 1978. It had been the victim of the scrap-iron pile and was being used as a farm implement.
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 The Sanford Tavern - Samuel Alsop built the tavern in 1838, according to tax records. Joseph Sanford owned it from 1853
to 1869. During the Civil War, Sanford's Tavern was near the center of the Battle for Spotsylvania Court House
and served as headquarters for Confederate General Jubal A. Early and his staff. General Robert E. Lee was in conference
here frequently.
From 1838 to 1905, the Tavern experienced a succession of name changes: Alsop's Tavern, Rawlings Tavern,
Sanford's Tavern, Fisher's Hotel, Shelton's Hotel, Bittle's Historic Hotel (Virginia Collegiate Institute), Harris' Historic
Hotel and Carner's Historic Hotel. In September 1905, the Tavern (known as Carner's Historic Hotel) was decimated
by fire, leaving only some walls standing. The current structure was rebuilt in 1906 and most recently restored
by the present owners, the law firm of Coleman, Jarrell, Hicks and Sasser.
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 Old Berea Christian Church - The church was built in 1856 under the supervision of Samuel Alsop, who, even though he was 81, was considered
one of the foremost builders of that time. This little church is a fine example of Virginia’s Gothic Revival period
architecture, and is exceptionally well preserved.
When the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House was fought in 1864,
Berea was scarred by shots and shells. One large shell passed through one of the front doors and lodged in the
wall. The Old Cemetery, in the rear, dates back to the pre-Civil War period.
Today the structure houses
a Research Library and Museum. In October, 1987, the Research Library was formally dedicated to the preservation
of Spotsylvania County’s heritage. The Museum is under the direction of the Spotsylvania Historical Association,
Inc. and is open to the public Monday through Friday, 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
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 Christ Episcopal Church - The church was constructed in 1841. It is believed that clay, from what is now a field at Robert
E. Lee Elementary School, was used for the bricks. The church was consecrated that same year by the Right Reverend
Bishop More. Christ Church served as a hospital during the Battle if Spotsylvania Court House, and still bears
scars received from shelling during that battle.
After an Episcopal congregation in Mattaponi dissolved, that church’s
large valued Bible (King James Version), dated 1754, was brought to Christ Church. It is now prominently displayed
as a church treasure. This little church is exceptionally well preserved and is a fine example of Virginia’s
late Federal period architecture.
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 The Confederate Cemetery - In this cemetery rest some 600 Confederate soldiers that were killed on the Civil War battlefields of Fredericksburg,
Chancellorsville, The Wilderness and Spotsylvania. They came from ten Confederate States, to fight for the Confederate
cause here in Virginia. One-third of the battles in the Civil War were fought in Virginia, and one-third of these
battles were fought in Spotsylvania County. The Spotsylvania Museum has a roster of Confederate veterans buried
in this cemetery, as well as a list of other burials there.
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_______________Following the Civil War, the community centered on the Court House continued
to support the old tavern and several dwellings. The two small churches remained in use. It was not
until the last years of the 19th century that any substantial building activity took place. An 1895 directory
indicates that Clerk of the County Court, J. P. H. Crismond, Sheriff T. A. Harris, tavern and store keeper T. H. Harris, and
the local Commonwealth’s Attorney were the only full time residents of Spotsylvania Court House. An 1887
picture of the tavern and court-house confirms written evidence that the Court House seat was then sparsely populated. By
1905, several substantial dwellings had been added to the tax rolls including the Crismond Residence, the Pendleton House
(now the Christ Church Education building) and the T. H. Harris House, just south of the Court House.
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