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

Powhatan Courthouse

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, April 26, 2009

1. Powhatan Courthouse Marker

Inscription. The first courthouse was built here about 1783 and around it grew the village of Scottville. Named for Revolutionary War Gen. Charles Scott, who was born in the area, the town eventually became known as Powhatan Court House. The present courthouse was designed by Alexander Jackson Davis, of New York, and built in 1849. It is a masterpiece of Greek Revival architecture. The oldest building in the court square is the clerk's office built about 1798 and nearby is a late-18th-century double-galleried courthouse tavern. Part of the Confederate army, retreating from Richmond, passed here on 4 Apr. 1865.

Erected 2000 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number O-32.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Notable Buildings • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical date for this entry is April 4, 1865.

Location. 37° 32.499′ N, 77° 55.127′ W. Marker is in Powhatan, Virginia, in Powhatan County. It is on Old Buckingham Road (Virginia Route 13) 0.1 miles south of Courthouse Tavern Lane, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Powhatan VA 23139, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Piedmont,

in Central Virginia,

and in the Richmond Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

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

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

of this marker: Powhatan Court House (here, next to this marker); Memorial to Powhatan Servicemen (here, next to this marker); The Court House (a few steps from this marker); The Powhatan Troop (within shouting distance of this marker); The Courthouse Tavern / Atkinson's Hotel / The Village (within shouting distance of this marker); Norton Grape (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Vegetable Garden (about 300 feet away); Garden Founding / Agriculture in Powhatan (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Powhatan.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Powhatan Court House (was here, next to this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Also see . . . Powhatan Court House Historic District. National Register of Historic Places (Submitted on November 11, 2021.)

Powhatan Courthouse Markers image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, April 26, 2009

2. Powhatan Courthouse Markers

Courthouse Tavern image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, April 26, 2009

3. Courthouse Tavern

The Powhatan Troop Monument image. Click for full size.

April 26, 2009

4. The Powhatan Troop Monument

(front) Erected to keep in tender remembrance The Powhatan Troop Company E Fourth Virginia Cavalry Second Brigade First Division Stuart's Cavalry Corps A. N. V.
(side) 1861 Manassas
(rear) To honor valor is mankind's delight.
(side) 1865 Appomattox

Memorial to Powhatan Servicemen image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, April 26, 2009

5. Memorial to Powhatan Servicemen

Virginia Historic Landmark plaque for the Powhatan Court House Historic District image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 21, 2021

6. Virginia Historic Landmark plaque for the Powhatan Court House Historic District

Powhatan County Clerk's Office image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Evan Dwyer, January 2, 2026

7. Powhatan County Clerk's Office

The ca. 1798 clerk's office mentioned in the marker.

Credits. This page was last revised on March 30, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 27, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,581 times since then and 40 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 27, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. 4. submitted on April 27, 2009. 5. submitted on April 27, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. 6. submitted on August 23, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 7. submitted on March 17, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia.