Customs House - Falmouth Historic District - Stafford County VA
N 38° 19.385 W 077° 28.168
18S E 284126 N 4244548
The Customs House is the oldest muncipal building in Stafford County, VA.
Waymark Code: WM9RA4
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 09/23/2010
Views: 6
Falmouth, Virginia is a small town located on the north bank of the Rappahannock River across from Fredericksburg. It was founded in 1728 and served as a busy port town and trading center during colonial times.
During the Civil War in the early 1860s, it was occupied mainly by Federal troops and served as a gateway to freedom for slaves seeking emancipation. Many Union wounded and Confederate POWs were transported through the area.
Falmouth was added to the NRHP as a historic district in Stafford County in 1970.
One of the contributing buildings is the Customs House, also known as the Magistrate's Office and the Little Courthouse. It is a very small building of red brick, 12' x 16', and stands 1.5 stories tall. A sign in front reads:
Magistrate's Office
The Magistrate’s Office is the oldest existing municipal building in Stafford County. Originally built for the town of Falmouth, the structure has been used as a courthouse (magistrate’s office) and voting place. Traditionally referred to as the Customs House, the earliest known account of the building, in 1895, refers to it as a courthouse. Its original date of construction is not known, however, its architectural style and remaining original material suggest that it may have been constructed sometime in the first half of the nineteenth century. The Magistrate’s Office is dedicated to Dr. E. Boyd Graves who was instrumental in the early preservation of the building.
There is a plaque to the left of the front door inscribed:
TO THE MEMORY OF
DR. E. BOYD GRAVES
1904 - 1986
HISTORIAN, PRESERVATIONIST
EDUCATOR, AND FAITHFUL SERVANT
DEDICATED OCTOBER 18, 1987
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