Raleigh Tavern

Raleigh Tavern
Reconstructed Raleigh Tavern from Duke of Gloucester Street
Raleigh Tavern is located in Virginia
Raleigh Tavern
Raleigh Tavern is located in the United States
Raleigh Tavern
Map
Interactive map showing the location of Raleigh Tavern
LocationWilliamsburg, Virginia
Built1930-31[2]
Architectural styleColonial Revival
Part ofWilliamsburg Historic District (ID66000925[1])
Added to NRHPOctober 15, 1966

The Raleigh Tavern was a tavern in Williamsburg, Virginia, and was one of the largest taverns in colonial Virginia. It gained some fame in the pre-American Revolutionary War Colony of Virginia as a gathering place for legislators after several Royal Governors officially dissolved the House of Burgesses, the elected legislative body, when their actions did not suit the Crown. It was also the site of the founding of the Phi Beta Kappa Society on December 5, 1776.[3]

Rebuilt in 1930–31, it was both the first building to be reconstructed and to be opened as part of Colonial Williamsburg.[2][4] Unlike several other taverns in Williamsburg that operate as restaurants or inns, the reconstructed Raleigh Tavern building serves as a museum, showing visitors how the tavern would have appeared.

It was named after Sir Walter Raleigh, an important figure in the English settlement of Virginia. A lead bust of Raleigh sat above the entrance door.

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Wilson, Richard Guy (2002). Buildings of Virginia: Tidewater and Piedmont. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 365. ISBN 0-19-515206-9.
  3. ^ Tyler, p. 166
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Greenspan 1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).