Gloucester Travel Guide

There isn't much to do in Gloucester. In any other place this little square might be 'off-the-beaten-track'. And there isn't much to do in the square, although right off the square there is now the Museum of History and Visitor Information. in the Botetourt Building, formerly the Botetourt Hotel, which was built in the late eighteenth century as a roadside tavern or ordinary and was known as John New's Ordinary.

The historic district on Main Street includes a walled green in the middle of the road and the buildings on the opposite side of the street. The green has one Confederate monument and five buildings; the Debtor's Prison, the Jail, the Roane Building, the Clayton Building, and the Court House.

Gloucester Courthouse has survived years of change (including assault by automobile) and visitors can still enjoy stepping back in time under the great old trees inside the court green.

Gloucester's old 18th century courthouse is one of the most architecturally sophisticated of Virginia's important colonial courthouses. This old courthouse served its purpose for more than 200 years. An addition was built in 1956 which served as the Clerk's Office until April, 1982. It was still in use when this picture was taken.

Located in the center of the court circle was unveiled on September 18, 1889, in honor of the Gloucester men who lost their lives in the War Between the States. It contains 132 names, eight of whom were officers.

The building closest to us, half hidden behind the tree and opposite the Courthouse is the Clayton Building. It was built on April 2, 1776, for John Clayton, Clerk of Gloucester Court 1720-1773 to be used as the clerk's office. It suffered almost complete destruction by fire in 1820. Rebuilt on the earlier foundations and completed about 1823, the original wooden floor was replaced with stones of random size and with a brick floor in a smaller room.

The next building with the porch is the Roane Building which according to the website was built in 1896 and named on April 2,1976, for Basil Bernard Roane, a native son, who served as deputy clerk and clerk of the Circuit Court for 59 years. I don't know what they called it for the first 80 years. The Roane building is staffed by volunteers from 1 to 4 pm on Sundays and 10 am to 4 pm on Thursday through Monday. The one story brick building features maximum security with iron gratings, heavy metal doors and is a sturdy and strongly built example of a public building of the late 19th century.

The next building past that is the Colonial Jail which was erected in 1873 as a prison after the earlier prison on the same site was burned by Federal troops during the War Between the States. This two story structure has hardy brick walls relieved by well proportioned brick pilasters and other features. The small wings were later additions. Its simplicity of style is faithful to the architectural design popular in the post-bellum period

The white building at the far end of the picture (outside of the Court House Green) is the Botetourt Lodge No. 7 Masonic Building and is one of the oldest Masonic lodges in the country. The Lodge dates from 1757.