Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 05/15/1984
NRHP Listing Date 08/16/1984
NRHP Reference Number 84003481
Crossroads Tavern was built sometime in the 1820s by the Morris family to serve travelers along the Staunton and James River Turnpike in Albemarle County. An excellent representative of the simple vernacular hostelries that once dotted Virginia’s roadways, the brick building preserves the long front porch that was a common feature of these buildings. A 19th-century English traveler in Virginia noted, “they [taverns] all resemble each other, having a porch in front, the length of the house.” The tavern has survived virtually unaltered, providing a little-disturbed picture of early 19th-century travel-related architecture. Adding interest to the property is the survival of the daybook of C. C. Sutherland, who served as the taverner in the 1850s. Behind the tavern building is a two-level summer kitchen built into the slope of the hill. Restored late in the 20th century, Crossroads Tavern then served as a bed-and-breakfast inn.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: January 12, 2022
