Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 09/23/2021
NRHP Listing Date 11/17/2021
NRHP Reference Number SG100007133
A little more than a decade after the founding of the town of New London in 1754 in present-day Campbell County, one of the town’s original trustees, William Mead, constructed a tavern, erecting it on a stone foundation. Mead’s two-story building was unusual for its era since the majority of taverns were then one-story or one-and-one-half-story structures. Since its construction in 1763, Mead’s Tavern has undergone several alterations and adaptations that allowed the building to function by turns as a school and doctor’s office before transitioning to a single-family dwelling during the 1820s. The only building now remaining from the colonial era of New London, Mead’s Tavern offers insight into the commerce of an 18th-century community and tavern establishment. Parts of the interior exhibit timber framing with pegged mortise-and-tenon joints, characteristic construction methods during the Colonial and Early National periods. Archaeological excavations during 2013 on the tavern parcel, as well as the building’s basement and interior have yielded numerous artifacts related to its 18th-century occupation. The artifacts offer a better understanding of the complexity of life on the Virginia frontier during the latter 1700s. Although altered over time, Mead’s Tavern retains a substantial amount of historic building fabric and integrity of workmanship.
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Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: November 19, 2021
