Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 02/17/1976
NRHP Listing Date 09/29/1976
NRHP Reference Number 76002113
The core of Boyd’s Tavern was erected in ca. 1785 by Alexander Boyd, Sr. an area businessman and founder of Boydton. The hostelry thrived and its presence greatly influenced the selection of Boydton as the Mecklenburg County seat. The popular establishment evolved over the next decades into a rambling frame structure of thirty-five rooms highlighted with fancy sawn work detailing. The ornamentation was the work of the regional builder architect Jacob W. Holt, who made such enrichments his hallmark. The tavern closed in the late 19th century, and was converted into a boarding school and subsequently into apartments. To save the building from neglect, the Boyd Family Memorial Foundation purchased the property in 1974. In 1988, Boyd’s Tavern was deeded to the Boyd Tavern Foundation whose goal was to restore the tavern to its original use.
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: December 29, 2021
