Bibliograph

The courthouses of early Virginia, an architectural history, Carl R. Lounsbury

Type

Label

The courthouses of early Virginia, an architectural history, Carl R. Lounsbury

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references (pages 383-414) and index

Illustrations

illustrations

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

The courthouses of early Virginia

Nature of contents

bibliography

Oclc number

54670303

Responsibility statement

Carl R. Lounsbury

Series statement

Colonial Williamsburg studies in Chesapeake history and cultureLocal authors project

Sub title

an architectural history

Summary

Court day in early Virginia transformed crossroads towns into forums for citizens of all social classes to transact a variety of business, from legal cases heard before the county magistrates to horse races, ballgames, and the sale and barter of produce, clothing, food, and drink. As marketplace, playing field, social center, and administrative and judicial county seat, the courthouse grounds gave rise to an array of public and private buildings. The Courthouses of Early Virginia is the first comprehensive history of the public buildings that formed the nucleus of this space and the important private buildings that grew up around them. Carl R. Lounsbury surveys the architectural history of these buildings, from their undifferentiated forms in 1650 to 1800, when they had developed into specialized structures that reflected the growth of a wealthy agricultural society built on slave labor. After setting the context of legal and social affairs that conditioned the design, construction, and function of county government buildings, he examines the example of Yorktown. He then proceeds with a thematic exploration of issues including the rise of courthouses of greater civic aspiration and aesthetic ambition, the public building process, attitudes toward punishment and prisons, and the role of taverns and clerk's offices in the legal process. He concludes with a discussion of the evolution of the courthouse grounds into the broader civic squares that characterized many Virginia cities and towns by the early nineteenth century. With abundant drawings, photographs, and maps and a checklist of important public buildings in early Virginia, Lounsbury's study will fascinate and delight architectural historians, architects, students, and Virginians involved in law and government

Table Of Contents

The county court in early Virginia -- The early courthouses, 1650-1725 -- Courthouses, 1725-1815 -- The public building process in early Virginia -- Punishment and prisons -- Taverns and clerks' offices -- Epilogue: Courthouse grounds to civic square -- Appendix: Checklist of public buildings in early Virginia

Target audience

adult

Classification

Creator