Raleigh Tavern | |
.jpg) Reconstructed Raleigh Tavern from Duke of Gloucester Street | |
| Location | Williamsburg, Virginia |
|---|---|
| Built | 1930-31[1] |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Part of | Williamsburg Historic District (ID66000925[2]) |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
The Raleigh Tavern was a tavern in Williamsburg, Virginia, and was one of the largest taverns in colonial Virginia. It gained some fame in the pre-American Revolutionary War Colony of Virginia as a gathering place for legislators after several Royal Governors officially dissolved the House of Burgesses, the elected legislative body, when their actions did not suit the Crown. It was also the site of the founding of the Phi Beta Kappa Society on December 5, 1776.[3]
Rebuilt in 1930–31, it was both the first building to be reconstructed and to be opened as part of Colonial Williamsburg.[1][4] Unlike several other taverns in Williamsburg that operate as restaurants or inns, the reconstructed Raleigh Tavern building serves as a museum, showing visitors how the tavern would have appeared.
It was named after Sir Walter Raleigh, an important figure in the English settlement of Virginia. A lead bust of Raleigh sat above the entrance door.
- ^ a b Wilson, Richard Guy (2002). Buildings of Virginia: Tidewater and Piedmont. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 365. ISBN 0-19-515206-9.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ Tyler, p. 166
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Greenspan 1was invoked but never defined (see the help page).