The Old Isle of Wight Courthouse was built in 1750-51 and was used as the main courthouse for

Isle of Wight County, Virginia Isle of Wight County is a county located in the Hampton Roads region of the U.S. state of Virginia. It was named after the Isle of Wight, England, south of the Solent, from where many of its early colonists had come. As of the 2020 census, th ...

until a new courthouse was built at

Isle of Wight, Virginia Isle of Wight is an unincorporated community in and the county seat of Isle of Wight County, Virginia, United States. Originally, Isle of Wight County was named Warrosquyoake Shire Warrosquoake Shire (with numerous variant spellings, including ...

in 1800. It is located in the

Historic District A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

in the town of Smithfield.

History

During its 50 years of use as the county courthouse, it was considered the center of life in Isle of Wight and in the town of Smithfield, which was incorporated in 1752. It was constructed by William Rand, and featured a distinctive semi-circular

apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an ''exedra''. In ...

and conical roof found in many English churches of the period and echoing the Colonial Capitol in Williamsburg. An adjacent clerk's office was constructed in 1799, although it was only in use for its intended purpose for a year, before the new courthouse at Isle of Wight was constructed. The old Smithfield courthouse was later modified into a family residence. To do so, the arcade was blocked and the roof converted to a

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

Preservation

The courthouse and clerk's office were acquired by Preservation Virginia in 1938 and an extensive restoration project was completed in 1959. Old Isle of Wight Courthouse - interior

A second restoration of the courthouse was undertaken in the late 1990s with the help of

Colonial Williamsburg Colonial Williamsburg is a living-history museum and private foundation presenting a part of the historic district in the city of Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has 7300 employees at this location and ...

consultants and craftsmen, in which the interior was modified to more accurately recreate the appearance of a typical Virginia courthouse of the period. The building is one of four remaining examples of

arcaded An arcade is a succession of contiguous arches, with each arch supported by a colonnade of columns or Pier (architecture), piers. Exterior arcades are designed to provide a sheltered walkway for pedestrians. The walkway may be lined with retail s ...

colonial courthouses. In 2013, ownership passed from Preservation Virginia to the non-profit Historic Smithfield. A semi-independent committee within Historic Smithfield known as 1750 Isle of Wight Courthouse raises money for the continued maintenance and restoration of the building and makes it available to the public, free of charge, year-round.

References

External links

Visitor Information
- Isle of Wight-Smithfield-Windsor Chamber of Commerce
Isle of Wight County Courthouse, Main & Mason Streets, Smithfield, Isle of Wight County, VA
at the

Historic American Buildings Survey Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...

(HABS) (pre-restoration)
Small Brick Office, Mason & Main Streets, Smithfield, Isle of Wight County, VA
at HABS Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Government buildings completed in 1750 County courthouses in Virginia Buildings and structures in Isle of Wight County, Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Isle of Wight County, Virginia Historic American Buildings Survey in Virginia Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Virginia Museums in Isle of Wight County, Virginia {{IsleofWightCountyVA-NRHP-stub