Berryville in Clarke County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Clarke County Courthouse

By Roger Dean Meyer, September 30, 2006

1. Clarke County Courthouse Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

The year after Clarke County was formed in 1836, construction began on a brick courthouse based on county justice David Meade’s design. The courthouse was remodeled in the Neoclassical style about 1850 when the portico and cupola were added. Portraits of locally prominent judges and lawyers from the 1840s to the present are displayed in the courtroom. The 1882 commonwealth’s attorney office, the combination sheriff office and jail, built about 1895, and the 1977 circuit courthouse are also located on the courthouse grounds. The last public hanging in Clarke County occurred here in 1905.

Erected 1999 by Deparment of Historic Resources. (Marker Number T-15.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Government & Politics.

Location. 39° 9.115′ N, 77° 58.829′ W. Marker is in Berryville, Virginia, in Clarke County. Marker is at the intersection of Church Street and Academy Street on Church Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Berryville VA 22611, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker.

Clarke County Court House with Marker in front image. Click for full size.

By Roger Dean Meyer, September 30, 2006

2. Clarke County Court House with Marker in front

Traveler Was Tethered on This Spot (within shouting distance of this marker); Bank of Clarke County (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); King Wheat, Millwood & The Burwell-Morgan Mill (about 500 feet away); Historic Districts (about 500 feet away); Clarke County (about 500 feet away); Josephine School Community Museum & The African-American Experience (about 500 feet away); Stewardship & Conservation (about 500 feet away); Berryville (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Berryville.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Clarke County, Virginia Civil War markers.

Also see . . . Detailed History of the Court House. From the Clarke County Historical Association. (PDF Download) (Submitted on July 8, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)

Clarke County Confederate Memorial image. Click for full size.

By Roger Dean Meyer, September 30, 2006

3. Clarke County Confederate Memorial

Inscription on Memorial: Erected to the memory of the sons of Clarke who gave their lives in defense of the rights of the states and of constitutional government. Fortune denied them success but they achieved imperishable fame. (List of names are on all four sides of the memorial) Erected July 21, 1900.

Granite statue, by an unknown sculptor, stands 10 feet tall on a 12 foot base. —Ed.

Close Up of the Statue image. Click for full size.

By Craig Swain, July 8, 2007

4. Close Up of the Statue

Description of the statue from the Clarke County Historical Association Proceedings Vol 19: The figure is that of an unarmed Confederate soldier, standing with arms folded, with bare head and eyes cast down, the embodiment in store of one who, after having given up home, friends, and country in defense of principles, now that the struggle is over and all lost, almost as in a dream begins to realize in the expression of the face—a hope which has found fruition in the part of the soldiers of the Lost Cause have played in the progress and advancement of our united country since the close of the war.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 6, 2020. It was originally submitted on June 24, 2007, by Roger Dean Meyer of Yankton, South Dakota. This page has been viewed 1,729 times since then and 10 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 24, 2007, by Roger Dean Meyer of Yankton, South Dakota. 4. submitted on July 8, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. • J. J. Prats was the editor who published this page.