Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 07/17/1973
NRHP Listing Date 08/13/1973
NRHP Reference Number 73002045
Nottoway County’s Roman Revival courthouse is the focal point of its tiny county seat village. Like many of Virginia’s antebellum courthouses, this remarkably sophisticated and visually satisfying work shows the influence of Thomas Jefferson’s architecture on the state’s public buildings. The courthouse was completed in 1843 on the site of the 1798 courthouse that it replaced. Its builder was Branch H. Ellington who incorporated devices favored by Jefferson such as the three-part Palladian scheme, Tuscan portico, triple-hung sash, and carefully crafted Flemish-bond brickwork. The marble sills and lintels add an element of special refinement. Union soldiers bivouacked here on April 5, 1865 during which time many county records were destroyed. The Nottoway County Courthouse, however, especially the exterior, remains remarkably well preserved.
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: June 21, 2021
