Brick House Tavern (Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Block 10)
Site History
The Brick House Tavern is a reconstructed 18th-century brick dwelling located on the southwest corner of Duke of Gloucester and Botetourt Streets in the Historic Area of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. The earliest known owner of the lot was Thomas Ravenscroft, who sold the property in 1723 to Cole Digges. Dudley Digges owned the property, followed by William Withers. The 80 ft. long reconstructed building currently standing on the property is based on a structure that was built at an unknown date. William Withers sold part of the property in 1760 to William Holt and the remaining portion of the parcel to physician William Carter. In 1764, Carter rented merchant Hugh Walker several rooms in the building, as well as half of the building's cellar. He leased the other half of the cellar and some rooms to surgeon Robert Anderson. There is evidence that permanent structural changes were made to divide the building into two portions. In the last quarter of the 18th century, the property was also used by a riding chair shop, several merchants, a watch repairer, a tavernkeeper, a wigmaker, and a bookbinder.
The property continued to pass through various owners in the first half of the 19th century, until it was destroyed by fire in 1842. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation acquired the property in 1938. Today the property serves as an overnight lodging experience for visitors to Williamsburg.
Archaeological Investigations
Archaeologists working for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation conducted archaeological investigations at the Brick House Tavern in the 1930s. The work uncovered portions of cellar walls and chimney foundations that matched the dimensions of the building shown on property deeds. The foundation walls of the two cellar rooms and two bulkhead cellar entrances were intact, although the north wall of the house had largely been destroyed. A brick drain that ran parallel to the building, was uncovered in the rear yard of the property.
References
1942 Brick House Tavern Architectural Report, Block 10 Building 10B Lot 19. Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Library Research Report Series 1208. Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Library, Williamsburg, Virginia.
1931 Brick House Tavern Archaeological Report, Block 10 Building 10B. Originally entitled: "Archaeological Report - Foundations of Dr. William Carter's Brick House" Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Library Research Report Series 1207. Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Library, Williamsburg, Virginia.
1956 Brick House Tavern Historical Report, Block 10, Building 10B Lot 19. Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Library Research Report Series 1206. Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Library, Williamsburg, Virginia.
