Historic Williamsburg

5. The Courthouse

Williamsburg, VA

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Construction of this symmetrical building began in 1770. Great thought and effort was put into the geometric design. For example, the length of the building is exactly equal to the distance from the ground to the top of the weathervane. If you walk in and around the building, you will undoubtedly discover even more geometric details. The Courthouse has been the site of several monumental events. In 1776, the townspeople gathered to hear lawyer Benjamin Waller read the Declaration of Independence aloud from its steps. 7 years later, the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Revolutionary War, was announced on these same steps. The courtroom is located directly inside the front doors. Debtor cases and civil suits were argued here, while more serious cases were tried at the Capitol by the General Court. The means by which punishments were carried out, namely the stocks and whipping post, were located just outside the courthouse. Like many other sizeable structures in Williamsburg, the courthouse was used as a Confederate hospital during the Civil War, though it had remained in active use as a courtroom up until then. The courthouse has been restored and refurnished to look as it did in Revolutionary times.