Sixth Street. Eastern Boundary of Village. J. Rawlings Thomson
BUILDINGS ON THE SQUARE
TOWN HALL
These old, early nineteenth-century houses have a grave and quaint charm of their own. At the corner of Park and East High Streets stands a large red brick building now known as the Park View Apartment, 350 Park Street. It was erected in 1851 “for the purpose of a town Hall.” Up to that time the lot had served as a playground for men and boys, and was known as the Battery. Later, the hall became the Levy Opera House, but with the coming of the movies its public functions declined.
SWAN TAVERN
The Red Land Club now occupies the site of one of the old buildings of the village, the famous Swan Tavern. The exact date of the tavern’s building is not known; the lot was bought in 1773. The building was a wooden structure with its painted sign of a swan hanging over the door. It was the home of the Jouett family. Jack Jouett, hero of the famous ride, lived here, and here the refugeeing members of the Virginia Legislature convened in 1781. In 1812 the tavern became known as the War Office, as military matters connected with that war were handled here. Following this, it gradually fell into decay and in 1832 collapsed. The present brick building was then erected.
SLAVE TRADE
Farish House. Now Old Wing of Monticello Hotel. J. Rawlings Thomson
Number Nothing (now Numbers 240-242 Court Square) is the original house on this lot. It was built in 1820; a double store, separately owned and handled. The name comes from the fact that at first the lot was intended for a horse lot. When it was sold the other lots had been numbered in rotation; a sequence was impossible, so Number Nothing was chosen. Traditions of the slave trade cluster here. Until some forty years ago there was on its Southern side, at the curb, a large stone, some eighteen inches high, by fifteen inches wide, and thirty long, which was known as the slave block. Here the village auctioneers long functioned, and doubtless when slaves were brought in, their dealers made use of these facilities. A fragment of an old sign may still be deciphered on this wall: “... and Bros. Auction Rooms.” The stone was unintentionally removed during recent street repairs.