Editing Washington, Virginia (section)

==Washington Historic District==
{{Infobox NRHP
 | name                     = Washington Historic District
 | nrhp_type                = hd
 | nocat                    = yes
 | designated_other1        = Virginia Landmarks Register
 | designated_other1_date   = April 15, 1975; amended September 6, 2006
 | designated_other1_number = 322-0011
 | designated_other1_num_position = bottom
 | image                    = 
 | caption                  = 
 | location                 = Town of Washington, Virginia
 | coordinates              = {{coord|38|42|51|N|78|09|34|W|display=inline}}
 | locmapin                 = Virginia#USA
 | built                    = Circa 1800 to 1945
 | builder                  = Malcolm F. Crawford, James Leake Powers, multiple other builders
 | architecture             = Early Republic, Greek Revival, Jeffersonian, multiple other styles
 | added                    = May 28, 1975; amended November 21, 2006
 | area                     = {{convert|180|acre|ha}}
 | refnum                   = 75002033
}}
"Washington Historic District" was added to the Virginia Landmarks Register and to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1975. The historic district comprises the entire corporate boundaries of the town (180 acres).<ref group=note>The 1975 nomination incorrectly estimated the acreage of the town to be 140 acres. The nomination document included a boundary description and a plat of the corporate limits. In 1985 a professional survey was completed which determined the town to be 180 acres - Rappahannock County, Court Clerk's Office, Plat Book 4, p. 68</ref> However, most of the historic structures are clustered within the 30-acre core of the town established in 1796–1797 by George Calvert, James Jett Jr., James Wheeler, and William Porter.<ref>{{cite web| publisher=Library of Virginia, Legislative Petitions Digital Collection |url=http://www.virginiamemory.com/petitions| title=The 1975 nomination indicated that George Washington laid out the town in 1749; this local legend has been determined to have been created from fictitious documents in 1932 (see reference 7, Appendix 4)}}</ref>

At that time, the Town Council passed a Historic District Ordinance which established a Historic District Architectural Review Board.<ref>Calder Loth, editor, ''The Virginia Landmarks Register'' (University Press of Virginia, Charlottesville, 1986), p. 358; Virginia Department of Historic Resources, dhr.virginia.gov/historic-registers/322-0011; National Register of Historic Places, U.S. National Park Service, nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister</ref> The historic district encompassed the entire town and many properties were considered as [[contributing resources|contributing]] to the historic nature of the town. The Town Council's actions were intended to protect and preserve the historic nature of the town. A resurvey of the town was conducted in 2004–2005. In 2006, an amendment was made to the town's historic district designation, extending the period of historic significance to 1945, and the amendment was recorded on both the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register in 2006. A total of 159 properties are considered to contribute to the historic nature of the District.<ref>https://www.virginia.gov/historic-registers/322-0011 {{Dead link|date=February 2022|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/VLR_to_transfer/PDFNoms/322-0011_Washington_Historic_District_1975_Final_Nomination.pdf | access-date=November 11, 2023 | title=National Register of Historic Places - Inventory - Nomination Form}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/322-0011_WashingtonHD_2006_NRfinal_Updated.pdf | access-date=November 11, 2023 | title=National Register of Historic Places- Registration Form}}</ref><ref>Cheryl H. Shepherd, "Resurvey of the Washington Historic District 2004-05," Reconnaissance Level Survey, Virginia Department of Historic Resources, Richmond, Virginia</ref>  Many of the homes and other structures from the earliest period of the town survive today.

{{anchor|Rappahannock County Courthouse}}[[File:Rappahannock County Courthouse.jpg|left|thumb|Rappahannock County Courthouse]]
The chief landmark is the '''Rappahannock County Courthouse''', a two-story [[Flemish bond|Flemish-bond]] Jeffersonian-style building constructed in 1834–1835 by Malcolm F. Crawford of Albemarle County who had worked on construction of the [[University of Virginia]] and built the [[Page County Courthouse (Virginia)|Page County Courthouse]] and [[Greene County Courthouse (Virginia)|Greene County Courthouse]] (both surviving and NRHP-listed), and also the courthouse of Spotsylvania County. Crawford also built the adjacent Court clerk's office (now the office of the Commissioner of Revenue). Other brick buildings in the courthouse complex are the county jail (1835–1836, constructed by John W. Fant of Stafford County) and the county treasurer's office (1857). A small frame building (1857) on the northwest corner of the complex served as the original office of the Commonwealth Attorney.<ref>Maureen I. Harris, Washington, Virginia, a History, 1735–2018 (KDP Publishing, Amazon.com, 2019), pp. 26-28, 235-239</ref>

Other notable buildings include the tavern and inn originally owned by Anne Coxe (circa 1800, now commercial shops); a log building that was probably one of the original dwelling houses constructed when the town was formed in 1796–1797; the country-Gothic Trinity Episcopal church (1857) and the Doric Presbyterian church (1858, now the Town Hall), both constructed by James Leake Powers; the brick Baptist church and Masonic hall (1875); and a brick Edwardian bank building (1915, now commercial offices).<ref>Examination of Rappahannock County land records and land deeds has resulted in more accurate dates of construction for many of the buildings included in the 1975 application and the 2006 amendment. See reference 7, pp. 155-251</ref>

Numerous private homes are also part of the Washington Historic District, including the mansions Avon Hall (circa 1810, moved and enlarged in 1931), the Meadows (circa 1790), Mount Prospect (1872), The Maples (circa 1850, now a bed and breakfast establishment), and the home constructed for Edward Pendleton (circa 1800, now remodeled as overnight lodging for The Inn at Little Washington).  In addition to these large homes, there are many privately owned homes with historic significance throughout the Washington Historic District.

The town of Washington has been described as perhaps the best preserved of the county seat communities in the Virginia Piedmont.<ref>Calder Loth, editor. The Virginia Landmarks Register, 3rd edition. University Press of Virginia, 1986, p. 358</ref>

{{Gallery
|title        = Gallery
|align        = center
|footer       =
|height       =
|width        =
|File:View in 2020 of Mrs Coxe's tavern, built circa 1800.jpg
  |View in 2020 of Mrs. Coxe's tavern, built circa 1800
|File:Courthouse of Washington, Virginia.jpg
  | Rappahannock County courthouse, built 1834-1835
|File:The Avon Hall home.jpg
  | The Avon Hall mansion
|File:Rappahannock County Jail building.JPG
  |Rappahannock County Jail, built 1835-1836
}}