Near Spotsylvania Courthouse in Spotsylvania County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Third Spotsylvania County Courthouse Site

Photographed by J. J. Prats, May 4, 2013

1. Third Spotsylvania County Courthouse Site Marker

Inscription. This site was the location of the third Spotsylvania courthouse. In 1722 the first county court session was held at Germanna (now in Orange County) and a courthouse was built soon after. The court was relocated to Fredericksburg in 1732. In 1778 the General Assembly permitted the county to move the courthouse again to a more central location. The first court session was held here in 1781. The County‘s courthouse, jail, pillory, stocks, and gallows were built, and a clerk’s office and tavern were erected thereafter. A second courthouse, built in 1800, replaced the original. In 1837 it burned to the ground. and a replacement was built nearby at the present site of the Spotsylvania courthouse.

Erected 2004 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number E-128.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Notable Buildings • Political Subdivisions. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1722.

Location. 38° 10.947′ N, 77° 37.295′ W. Marker is near Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia, in Spotsylvania County. It is on Lake Anna Parkway (Bypass Virginia Route 208), on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 8111 Lake Anna Pkwy, Spotsylvania VA 22551, United States of America. Touch for directions.

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Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area,

in Northern Virginia,

and in the Piedmont.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

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 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Penny’s Tavern Site (approx. 1.7 miles away); Batter Up: Spotsylvania Yellow Jackets (approx. 2 miles away); Pastor's Office (approx. 2.1 miles away); Fight for the Fences (approx. 2.1 miles away); Civil War Veterans at Rest in Zion's Cemetery (approx. 2.1 miles away); Slave Entrance (approx. 2.1 miles away); Zion Methodist Church (approx. 2.1 miles away); Forever young, Forever in our hearts (approx. 2.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Spotsylvania Courthouse.

Other markers no longer nearby. Pastor's Office (was approx. 2.1 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Civil War Veterans at rest in Zion's Cemetery (was approx. 2.1 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Maryland Monument (was approx. 2.1 miles away but has been permanently removed); a different marker also named Slave Entrance (was approx. 2.1 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

More about this marker. There is a pull-off for the marker but no access to the former courthouse site and no indication of where it might be. Lake Anna Parkway is a relatively new road that straightened Courthouse and Block House Roads

Photographed by J. J. Prats, May 4, 2013

2. Third Spotsylvania County Courthouse Site Marker

and removed the dog-leg in Route 208 between Post Oak and Snell.

Credits. This page was last revised on July 9, 2021. It was originally submitted on May 5, 2013, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,160 times since then and 51 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 5, 2013, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.