Gloucester Courthouse
Historical highway marker NA-1 · Gloucester County
Gloucester County was formed from York County in 1651. Its first brick courthouse, one of Virginia's earliest, was erected by 1685. The county built a new courthouse in 1766, and the Virginia General Assembly established Botetourt Town around it in 1769. John New’s Ordinary (later the Botetourt Hotel), built ca. 1770, featured dining rooms, a billiards room, and a ballroom. A debtor’s prison and clerk’s office were built by 1824, followed by a new jail (1873) and clerk's office (1896). Excavations have located other houses and taverns in the village. Union forces occupied the county seat at various times during the Civil War, and Union and Confederate troops skirmished here on 29 Jan. 1864.
Department of Historic Resources, 2016