The King and Queen County Courthouse is located at 242 Allens Circle, King and Queen Court House, VA 23085. Phone: 804-785-5982.
King and Queen County [†] was established in 1691 from New Kent County and named for King William III and Queen Mary II of England. The courthouse has a rich history tied to the countyÕs colonial and Civil War past,
In 1691, Edmund Tunstall deeded one acre for a courthouse. By 1702, carpenter Larkin Chew built a frame courthouse (45Õx22Õ), modeled after Essex CountyÕs. Brick construction likely followed after 1705Ð1710, aligning with WilliamsburgÕs public buildings.
On June 20, 1863, Confederate scouts reported a 300-strong Union raiding party burning the community. The courthouse, jail, clerkÕs office, and most homes (except the Fary Tavern) were destroyed in 1864.
The courthouse was expanded before 1895 to 64Õx22Õ with added wings (32Õx23Õ). A vestibule was added in 1895, and a clerkÕs office was built at the rear in 1957. The clerkÕs office building, burned in 1864, was rebuilt in 1866 and now houses the King and Queen Courthouse Tavern Museum.
The courthouse, dating to circa 1750, remains in use for the Circuit Court. A Confederate monument was erected in 1912, and the surrounding walls were built as a WPA project in the 1930s.
The Fary Tavern, renovated starting in 1999, opened as the King and Queen Courthouse Tavern Museum in May 2001, operated by the King and Queen County Historical Society. It serves as an archive and cultural center for county history.
The courthouse area was described in MartinÕs 1835 Gazetteer as a small village with county buildings, four dwellings, two stores, a tavern, a magazine, a tanyard, and nearby mills. Its population was 54, with marshes contributing to its ÒunhealthyÓ reputation.
† www.grok.com, accessed April, 2025.