067-0047 Burke's Tavern

For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF

VLR Listing Date 06/17/1975

NRHP Listing Date 07/17/1975

NRHP Reference Number 75002027

This simple vernacular hostelry is a reminder of a flourishing period in the area, when taverns were the scene of much local socializing and political activity. Located at a rural crossroads on the Nottoway/Prince Edward County line, the tavern fostered a tiny settlement which took the name Burke’s Tavern and included an extant antebellum store across the road. Although a tavern had existed at the site since the mid-18th century, the present structure was erected ca. 1827 for Samuel Burke, a militia colonel, Whig politician, and local entrepreneur. Thomas A. Smythe, the last Union general mortally wounded in the Civil War, died in Burke’s Tavern on April 9, 1865.

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