Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 01/05/1971
NRHP Listing Date 09/22/1971
NRHP Reference Number 71000977
Termed by architectural historian Talbot Hamlin the “Acropolis of Palmyra,” the cluster of court structures that comprise the Fluvanna County Courthouse Historic District are dominated by the temple-form, Greek Doric courthouse, which stands grandly overlooking the surrounding village of Palmyra. Gen. John Hartwell Cocke of nearby Bremo, one of the five commissioners who drafted plans for both the courthouse and jail, took primary responsibility for their final appearance. The 1829 stone jail, built by John G. Hughes, is similar to the distinctive brick and stone farm buildings at Bremo. The courthouse, completed in 1831, was supervised by Walker Timberlake, a Methodist preacher/contractor. It is one of the state’s few antebellum courthouses to remain without additions and retain its original interior arrangement and many original fittings. Inscribed on the stone lintel above the Fluvanna County Courthouse entrance is “THE MAXIM HELD SACRED BY EVERY FREE PEOPLE / OBEY THE LAWS.
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: August 29, 2022
