The Free State of Warwick

The Free State of Warwick. . , The 1810 Courthouse, This structure, the oldest government building in the city, served as the second county courthouse from 1810-1884. The first, built in 1680, was on the Warwick River. In 1807 petitioners asked the legislature to relocate the county seat to Stony Run, stating that the old courthouse had become "ruinous from the gradual Decay of Time" and its remote location made it "inconvenient." Richard Young, owner of the tavern and most of the land at Warwick Town, offered money to those opposing the move. However, after a two-year dispute, the move was authorized. This new site, on the main road connecting the Peninsula's primary towns of Hampton and Williamsburg, was donated by Richard Cary Jr., In 1810 a T-shaped edifice, laid in Flemish bond with glazed headers, was constructed. A brick over the doorway inscribed "1810, T. Sandy under T. R. Dunn and R. Ratcliff, Masons" noted the builders. It was a diminutive building because Warwick was the third smallest county in Virginia with a population of less than 2,000. Court met "once a month, for half a day as needed." The cases were misdemeanors; capital offenses were tried in Williamsburg. In 1862 a Union soldier, amused by the modest building, wrote that "about sun set we came to a halt in a wheat field at a place called Warwick C.H....the Courthouse [is] a brick building about the size of a carriage house.", When a new courthouse was built in 1884, this one became a clerk's office. With the consolidation of Warwick and Newport News in 1958, it was no longer needed. The building served as the original Virgil I. Grissom branch library from 1961-1977. In 1987, the 1930 and 1950 additions were removed to return the courthouse to its 1810 appearance., The 1884 Courthouse, On February 19, 1884, the General Assembly authorized Warwick to issue $10,000 in bonds either to repair or replace its courthouse, which had fallen into disrepair. The court held its first session in its splendid new courthouse on January 4, 1885. Warwick's third courthouse was a solid two-story red brick Italianate structure with a bell tower. It was built to serve the expanding county populace which resulted with the inauguration of rail service to the Peninsula in 1881. Land transactions, criminal activity and other legal matters greatly escalated with the buildup of the southern end of the county, necessitating a larger courthouse to conduct business., In 1888, Warwick voters moved the seat of government to Newport News. When Newport News incorporated in 1896, Warwick County re-occupied the Denbigh courthouse. It remained in use until 1958. Since then, the building has served as a recreational facility and offices for historical agencies., The Jail, Two jails have stood on the square since the 1800s. The first was a two-story structure located north of the 1810 courthouse. The last was built in 1899 and demolished in 1960. It was located in the west quadrant of the parking lot. As George S. DeShazor Jr., clerk of courts from 1928-1970 recalled, it was not the most secure institution. This was because the jail was built during a very cold winter and the cement didn't harden properly. "You could use a tablespoon and dig your way through the bricks." One drunken inmate beat his way out with an old chain. He left a note for the jailer saying, "I'm at home. I got thirsty." Prisoners forced out the bricks so often that officials finally lined the walls with steel plates., Conditions there were poor. A 1953 newspaper article stated that the building's four cells, designed for 30 prisoners, were operating at 500 percent capacity. To relieve overcrowding, it was common for prisoners to sit on the lawn, cut the grass or walk down the hill to the creek and fish for their supper., (Featured Quote), ...about sun set we came to a halt in a wheat field at a place called Warwick C.H....the Courthouse [is] a brick building about the size of a carriage house., A Union soldier, 1862