Petersburg, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Tavern Park
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, October 16, 2011
1. Tavern Park Marker
Inscription.
Tavern Park. . You are standing within Lot Number One of the Old town of Petersburg, as laid out for Abraham Jones, Jr., in December of 1783. The first owner was William Byrd II of Westover. William Pride purchased the lot in 1745, and, entrepreneur that he was, very likely constructed the tavern that stood here during the Revolution and afterwards, known as James Durell’s Tavern for its operator, and, after 1791, owner. The tavern was prepared to entertain George Washington on the second evening of his visit in 1791, but the President rose at 3:00 in the morning and rode north out of town. Both Pride and Durell owned both the tavern and the Upper landing (or old stone warehouse) lots. The tavern complex continued in that usage through the 1820s. By the I94os, the lot was occupied by Ritchtie’s Seed and Feed, which abutted and wrapped around the Peter Jones Trading Post. The seed and feed establishment burned in a spectacular fire in 1980, substantially destroying the Trading Post in the process.
You are standing within Lot Number One of the Old town of Petersburg, as laid out for Abraham Jones, Jr., in December of 1783. The first owner was William Byrd II of Westover. William Pride purchased the lot in 1745, and, entrepreneur that he was, very likely constructed the tavern that stood here during the Revolution and afterwards, known as James Durell’s Tavern for its operator, and, after 1791, owner. The tavern was prepared to entertain George Washington on the second evening of his visit in 1791, but the President rose at 3:00 in the morning and rode north out of town. Both Pride and Durell owned both the tavern and the Upper landing (or old stone warehouse) lots. The tavern complex continued in that usage through the 1820s. By the I94os, the lot was occupied by Ritchtie’s Seed and Feed, which abutted and wrapped around the Peter Jones Trading Post. The seed and feed establishment burned in a spectacular fire in 1980, substantially destroying the Trading Post in the process.
N, 77° 24.458′ W. Marker is in Petersburg, Virginia. Marker can be reached from the intersection of Grove Avenue and North Market Street, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Petersburg VA 23803, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 18, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 728 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on October 18, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.
