Hanover Tavern

Hanover Tavern was an essential part of the county courthouse complex during the 18th and 19th centuries and served as the center of social life for people on large farms and plantations whose nearest neighbors could live miles away. Taverns provided public meeting places for dining, discourse, and rest, and many of the ideological foundations of the American Revolution grew out of such everyday exchanges among the American people. On court days, held only a few days each month, the courthouse complex came alive with commercial exchange, while residents also gathered for leisure activities including performances by traveling circus troupes and gambling on cockfights and horse races. Young lawyers such as Patrick Henry discussed, argued, and sold their legal expertise there. Henry had strong ties to Hanover Tavern through his interest in the courthouse and his marriage to Sarah Shelton. After failing at tobacco farming, Patrick and Sarah moved in with the Sheltons at Hanover Tavern, which John Shelton kept under the name Shelton Inn. Patrick helped John care for tavern guests, many of them lawyers and clients doing business across the street. His strong interest in colonial law led to successful examinations by prominent lawyers in Williamsburg and to a Virginia law license, and by April 1760 he opened a small law office at Hanover Tavern, representing 60 clients in 176 cases in his first year.

Hanover, Virginia · United States