Old Hotel (Dumfries, Virginia)

USA / Virginia / Dumfries / Dumfries, Virginia
 house, tavern, inn, NRHP - National Register of Historic Places, Georgian (architecture), historic landmark, 18th century construction
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Old Hotel is believed to have been built in the 1760s, although the exact construction date is unknown. The building’s symmetrical façade features header bond, a brick pattern rarely found in Virginia. This building was one of the most prominent structures in colonial Dumfries and reflected the port town’s importance and wealth.

While the building is also known as Williams' Ordinary, records are unclear as to whether local tavern keeper George Williams occupied this structure during the 1700s. The building’s name has changed to indicate various owners or uses. It has been called Love’s Hotel, Old Love’s Tavern, the Brick Tavern and the Stagecoach Inn. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Hotel_(Dumfries,_Virginia)
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   38°34'8"N   77°19'23"W

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  • Confederate General W.H.C. Whiting's Headquarters. In the autumn of 1861, when Confederate forces built batteries along the Potomac River nearby to blockade Washington, D.C., Gen. William H.C. Whiting, commanding Confederate forces, established his headquarters at Love’s Tavern (Williams’s Ordinary) while winter camps were erected around Dumfries. After the Confederates evacuated the town in March 1862, Col. Charles Candy’s Federal troops moved in.
  • Old Stage Couch Inn was my first home. I was born in Fredricksburgh, Va in Nov. 1958 to a Marine family stationed in Quantico. My mother tells me stories of the building as it stood then. There was a wooden wheel announcing the hotel with the sign by its side. The wheel was very very old according to the landlord at that time which surname was Blackburn. A furniture store was in the first floor, living quarters in second, the rest of the inn was closed to all. There was a sign on the wall in the third floor stating that confederate monies were dug out of that particular place in the wall. I explored the inn's horse stables, etc. There were old buggies carriage wheels and other things scattered about. My mother asked for the huge steamer trunk as dad received overseas orders and he said that would come in "just dandy" for the ocean crossing. My mom said that she and the landlord's daughter-in-law, became very scared during a snow storm where the doors slammed opened and both her name and my mother's name were called. Steps were heard in the living room but no one was found. At that point, my mom opened the front door, ran with me wrapped in blankets and called my dad at work. The landlord and his family were in a purchasing trip in Blacksburgh at that time. My mother has an unusual name and only people from her country know the exact pronunciation of her name. The voice calling her was called with the same peculiarities and accent of her country. She told my dad to move us out of the house because of the incident. Thought I'd share this with you. Wish we had bought it then as Mr. Blackburn wanted us to buy it then. Oh well, it was not meant to be. But I would have put it back in excatly the same way it was then in 1958, all three porches and carriage houses in the back of the house.
  • I forgot to say that there were documents on the wall stating that General George Washington slept there during his trips between Fredericksburgh and Washington, DC. The basement of the house had wineries and some of the bottles were full of liquour. How I know this? Because Dolly and I opened one and of course drank it. We then became scared and ran out of the basement. I was a young mother and Dolly a young bride then. Such nice memories. Out cocker spaniel used to dig the rats and mice out of the Inn's cellar.
  • What is the address? I didn't see it in the info above.
  • My Grandfather H.O. Johnson operated a Furniture Store in the building during the late 50's. At that time the building was referred to as the "Old Stagecoach Inn". I have many fond memories as child playing in the rooms and hallways located on the second floor.
This article was last modified 8 years ago