Butts Tavern
Posted by: 
showbizkid
N 36° 41.534 W 077° 32.390
18S E 273086 N 4063737
Butts Tavern was a historic building in Emporia dating to the 18th century. Colonial Army General Nathaniel Greene spent the night here and George Washington mentions the Tavern in his diary in 1791. Restoration work in 1965 actually resulted in fire that damaged the building beyond repair. This marker was placed in 1999.
Waymark Code: WMK5Z
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 08/05/2006
Views: 20
The marker text reads:
According to local tradition, the first court
meeting for newly formed Greensville County
occurred in Butts Tavern two blocks east on
22 Feb. 1781. Built about 1770 at the
intersection of Fort Christianna and Halifax
Roads for Williams Evans, the tavern
named for John Butts, who owned it early in
the 19th century. By midcentury, the tavern
was either remodeled or enlarged to become
a Greek Revival-style frame dwelling. After
the Civil War, Sallie W. Reese operated the
Belfield Seminary for Young Ladies and
Children there between 1877 and 1891. While
undergoing restoration, the building was
damaged by fire on 10 Feb. 1965. The ruins
were demolished in 1968.
It's too bad that efforts to save the structure resulted in its destruction.
Some additional history on the tavern:
The actual construction date of Butts Tavern, built where two Colonial Trails, the Halifax Road and the Fort Road, came together to cross the Meherrin River, has never been firmly established. However, it pre-dates Greensville County by a number of years.
Colonial Governor Spotswood, on a trip to Fort Christiana in 1763, speaks of the Tavern and calls it "the Mansion in the wilderness." General Nathaniel Green tells in his diary tells of spending the night at the Tavern and of being kept awake by cock-fighting and revelry. General Washington, in 1791 on a trip to Halifax, N.C., tells in his diary of coming through Hicksford and mentions the Tavern.
The Tavern had many owners and varied occupants. John Avery was the owner in 1804. He was an importer of fine horses in Greensville County and was associated with the Belfield race track. In the latter part of the 19th century it became "Belfield Seminary for Young Ladies and Children," the forerunner of the public school system in the county.
In November, 1951 the Woman's Clubs of Emporia bought Butts Tavern and began restoration. Much restoration had been done when on the night of February 10, 1965 the building was damaged by fire. The damage was too great and the building had to be demolished.
Butts Tavern, circa 1950