The Tavern Museum

Admission charge $2 per person.
Children and members of the King and Queen Historical Society free.
 

Ground Floor

• The Tavern Dining Room
  The original Tavern Dining Room was used to serve the guests of the Tavern as well as those attending Court. Two families known to have owned and operated the Tavern in the early 20th century were the Fleets and the Farys.
       During the rehabilitation of the Tavern, the brick floor was reconstructed at the original level. The fireplace hearths were made from brick found in the original floor. The mantles were copied from the original mantles in the Tavern's second-floor bedrooms. The room now has period furnishings.
       Today the Tavern Dining Room has become the reception area of the Museum and the beginning of your tour. There are exhibits on the history of the Courthouse Tavern and the Courthouse Green Historic District. The County History Exhibit also begins here.
       A DVD Touch-Screen introduction to the exhibits and the house also begins here. There are three Touch-Screen Monitors, one located on each floor. The Touch-Screen Monitor on this floor presents (1) part one of a three-part introduction to the house, (2) part one of a two-part introduction to the County History Exhibit, (3) an introduction to the Courthouse Green Historic District and its exhibit, (4) an introduction to the exhibit on the history of the Courthouse Tavern building, and (5) part one of a three-part introduction to rural county farming customs in King and Queen County.

• The Museum Office
  This room, which is part of the two-story addition to the Tavern, was used as the family parlor by the last Tavern owners. This area is now used as the information center for the Museum and provides access to the computer inventory of the Museum's archive collection.

• The Kitchen
  It is thought this room was initially a porch that was closed in for a kitchen. Used as a kitchen by the last Tavern owners, Mr. and Mrs. Fary, this room now features modern facilities to host Museum events.

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First Floor

• The Tavern Parlor
  The original Tavern Parlor was the room in which the overnight tavern guests were greeted by the tavern owner — the Fleets and later the Farys. The parlor is now furnished in "turn-of-the-19th-century" period furniture. This room also features the conclusion of the exhibit on King and Queen County history.
       The Touch-Screen Monitor on this floor presents (1) part two of the three-part introduction to the house, (2) part two the two-part introduction to the County History Exhibit, and (3) part two of the three-part introduction to rural county farming customs in King and Queen County.

• The Changing Exhibits Room
  Originally used as a bedroom in the Tavern, this room now functions as a display area for changing exhibits. The mantle was copied from the original mantles in the Tavern's second floor bedrooms.
       The current exhibit tells the story of Lynn Perry as a young boy who grew up on the King and Queen's Mattaponi River in the 1920s and loved schooners, small steamboats, and other boats that made the river a place of commerce in that day. It features his photographs, drawings of some of the boats by his friend Arthur Van Name, as well as models and artifacts of the period. There is also a DVD introduction recorded by Mr. Perry especially for this exhibit.

• The Library
  As part of the two-story addition added to the back of the Tavern, this room was initially used as a bedroom. Now serving as the Library, it offers books, periodicals, and papers on King and Queen County history and its families, books by King and Queen authors, as well as an Internet access for genealogical research.
  [Click for more on resources for research.]

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Second Floor

• "Pre-20th Century" Bedroom
  This bedroom was original to the Tavern's third story that was built in the second half of the 19th century. It still features the original hook-on mantle. True to its origins, the room displays pre-20th-century pre-plumbing, pre-electricity furnishings, including kerosene lights, a fireplace heating stove, lithographic prints and a bathing tub.

• "Early 20th Century" Bedroom and Bathroom
  * This bedroom was also original to the third story of the Tavern and displays the original hook-on mantle. The room now features early 20th-century furnishings, including electricity and plumbing. Among the furniture displayed is the Sears & Roebuck bed with a coverlet made in King and Queen County. Examples of early electrical appliances include fans, heaters, a vacuum cleaner and a toaster. The Bathroom's early 20th-century plumbing features a sink, a toilet and a bathtub.

The Touch-Screen Monitor on this floor presents (1) part three of the three-part introduction to the house, and (2) part two of the three-part introduction to rural county farming customs in King and Queen County.

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Exhibits

• 

  County History Exhibit: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
  This acclaimed exhibit explores the history of King and Queen county, using artifacts donated or loaned by county citizens, including early fossils and sharks' teeth found in the area, a piece of a canon used in the 1600s at Fort Mattaponi, a wooden voting box, a spyglass used in the American Revolution and the Civil War, an 18th century lady's day cap, and pictures of early schools and churches, among other interesting items. The exhibit traces King and Queen history with three themes: LIFE – making a living in the county; LIBERTY – participation by the county in the wars from the American Revolution to World War II, as well as various rights movements; and PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS – building community groups, including government, schools, and churches. The exhibit also tracks home life in rural King and Queen County during these periods. It is located on the Ground Floor and the First Floor Parlor of the Museum. There is a Touch-Screen introduction to this exhibit.

• Courthouse Green Historic District Exhibit
  This exhibit describes each of the buildings in the King and Queen Courthouse Green Historic District, of which the Courthouse Tavern Museum is a part. Besides the Museum the buildings that are a part of the District are the Circuit Courthouse, the old Clerk's Office, the old Jail, the Courthouse School, and the garage building. The exhibit details the history of the buildings, when they were burned and rebuilt. There are pictures and artifacts from the district, including a piece of rope from the last hanging in the County in 1899 and a soda fountain spoon from a store, and pictures of events that took place in the District. There is also a Touch-Screen introduction to this Exhibit.
  [Click for details on the Courthouse Green buildings.]

• Courthouse Tavern Building History Exhibit
  This exhibit details the history of the Courthouse Museum Tavern Building, from its beginnings prior to 1802. It describes the uses of the building, the additions to it and the families that owned and operated the Tavern. There is also a Touch-Screen introduction to this exhibit.

• Rural farming customs of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
  There is a three part Touch Screen program filmed in King and Queen that demonstrates many of the farming customs of the late 19th and 20th century.

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Log Schoolhouse

Eastern View Log Schoolhouse is a recent addition to the Museum. The Eastern View Schoolhouse was originally constructed and located at Eastern View Farm, near Owenton, King and Queen County, Virginia. It was constructed about 1870, used first as a private and then a public school until about 1903, and was the last remaining log schoolhouse in King and Queen County. Donated by Marian Minor, owner of Eastern View Farm, it was moved to the present site behind the King and Queen Courthouse Tavern Museum and rehabilitated by community volunteers in 2004. It is furnished as an late 19th-century log schoolhouse.

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Mission Statement of Museum

The Museum's Mission is to be an archive and museum for King and Queen County history, principally as (1) a repository and library for papers and books related to King and Queen County and its citizens, (2) a repository and museum for artifacts and cultural center relating to King and Queen County, (3) showcasing and interpretation of a period tavern/hotel building which served those coming to conduct public business at this rural courthouse, (4) presentation of information and demonstrations on rural cultural customs, especially those related to the household, and (5) an office for the Historical Society, all for the benefit of its citizens, both children and adult, as well as visitors to the County. As a part of these general activities, the building would have exhibition and meeting space and provide a resource and learning center for the schools for educational opportunities, as well as training opportunities in the museum field.
 

Handicapped Accessibility

The first floor of the Museum is handicapped accessible. Bathroom facilities on the first floor are also equipped for handicapped. There is a stair glide to the second floor to provide access to the exhibits on the second floor. All of the Touch Screen tours are available to the handicapped on the monitor on the first floor.