A Tavern at the New Courthouse

A Tavern at the New Courthouse. Spotsylvania Court House National Historic District. , In 1838, tragedy struck. The frame Courthouse on the Po River mysteriously burned. Lewis Rawlings and his wife Hannah offered the Justices of Spotsylvania County 10 acres for a new Courthouse. They quickly accepted. Lewis Rawlings was born in 1786, the son of Benjamin Rawlings and Elizabeth Holiday. In 1812 he married Hannah Garlick. They would have eight children. One child, James Henry, would become a lawyer and handle cases at the new Courthouse until his death in 1846. Lewis Rawlings became the caretaker for the new Courthouse, and also served as the keeper of the 1838 Jail which soon followed., Rawlings continued to operate the Tavern until 1852 when age and sickness caused him to sell his holdings to Joseph Sanford. He died the same year at age 66. Son Edward would move from the Courthouse to the valley of Virginia following the Tavern sale. He would be killed at the Battle of 2nd Manassas on August 30, 1862., [Captions:] , The Tavern (left) as it appeared in 1865. The four other structures shown are (1) the kitchen for (2) Rawling's home called "Courtland". (3) the large wooden store at the corner of Brock and Courthouse now replaced by Chewnings Grocery; and (4) the largest residence owned by Dr. J. Edgar Chancellor, who also operated the store until 1862. Joseph Sanford would later acquire the store and home. Watercolor by Leo Frankenstein 1865, Rawlings frequently entertained after church services at his home "Courtland." The home was owned by County Attorney William Powell, when it was destroyed by fire in 1927. Photo courtesy LOC., In 1844 Rawlings donated additional land and money for the building of Christ Episcopal Church. Photo courtesy SHA.