Petersburg Va.

On to the  visitors center , no pictures allowed inside.   A bank in the old days,  interesting to see the vault and old safe.   The floor had an opening in which every night the safe was lowered into out of site.

We parked at the side of this bldg. 

visitor center entrance

Then on to take in some of the sites and history of the old bldgs. and ruins.

below info about above picture -- Va's first magazine for powder and arms storage.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 info on bldg.  above -- enlarged below

 

 

  click on picture to enlarge to read

 

 looking across street from mural

 

 

 

standing on ruin site

 

the plaque is dirty and hard to read

below is what it reads

 

You are standing within lot no. one of the old town of Petersburg, as laid out for Abraham Jones Jr.

in December of 1783.  The first owner was William Byrd 11 of Westover.   William Pride purchased the lot in 1745,  and entrepreneur that he was,  very likely constructed the tavern that stood here during the Revolution and afterwards known as the James Durell's  Tavern for it's operator, and, after 1791, owner.

The tavern was prepared to entertain George Washington on second evening of his visit in 1791, but the President rose at 3:00 in the morning and rode north out of town.   Both Pride and Durell owned both the tavern and the upper landing (or old stone warehouse) lots.

The tavern complex continued in that usage  through the 1820's .    By the 1940's the lot was occupied by Ritchie's seed and feed ,  establishment burn in a spectacular fire in 1980, substantially destroying the trading post in the process.

 

 entrance

 

 

 ruins in the park

annette standing near ruins

 

fine old bldg.

 

 

up the steps

 

 

 

 

After a little looking around we grabbed a great coffee and so very good Lemon bar at Demolition Coffee on Bank Street.     Love the beautiful old rustic decor.

 

The  entrance with a figure sitting at the door,  at a glance from across the street,  Annette thought he was real

 

It was Halloween time so there is a bat on this wonderful old iron chandelier

gorgeous old brick

I took a picture of the bathroom wall, because I thought the toilet paper holder was neat made from pipe.    On the wall also was a towel holder made from railroad spikes.    Like I said ,  very beautiful old rustic decor.

Old bldgs.  with cobblestone streets

til next time