Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 February 1910 — QUAINT COLONIAL TOWN [ARTICLE]

QUAINT COLONIAL TOWN

Many Interesting Structures In Castville, Va. f One es the Oldest Settlements. COURTHOUSE BUILT m 1654. First Edifice Cost 7,000 Founds es Tobacco—The Taylor House and the Masonio Hall. There is a certain quiet charm and tinge of beautiful romance about the old scenes and old things in Eastville, Va,, one of the oldest settled portions of the original colonies, the Detroit Free Press says. The earliest settlement on the eastern shore of Virginia was made by Capt. Thomas Ancient Savage at the foot of Savage's—Neck, near this place, on a grant from the Indian king of the Accomacks, called the "laughing king." This grant included the present site of Eastville. In the old clerk’s office, erected in 1719, there are records going back to 1632, and unbroken to the present day, forming the oldest continuous records in this country. From these one finds that the first courthouse was erected by Col. William Waters in 1654 at a cost of 7,000 pounds of tobacco. The next one was erected in 1688 by .oseph Godwin, and lh 1781. it was rebuilt in brick by Capt. John Marshall at a cost of 60,000 pounds of tobacco. The old building has therefore a long and interesting history. The other building, however, has been allowed to stand, and is now a venerable object of antiquity in the midst ‘ cha. 30 and decay. In this quaint and unpretentious structure were heard some of the most noted cases of colonial times. It was 20 by 80 feet, one story high, with loft for the Jury. \ Godwin’s tavern existed for many years, but in 1750 the Taylor house was built to supersede the other, ap'd it still is doing service as the -town hotel. Another quaint old structure Is the old Masonic hall, built ji/st after the revolution and used by that order for about a hundred years. In 1861 a body of northern troops entered i( and was charged. The old clerk's office was erected in 1719 and the debtor’s prison some ;’ears later. It is situated back fro® the street and contains many Interesting articles, the old clerk’s desk, the attorney’s table and other furniture of the old courthouse and the cases filled with old court papers, going back to the year 1700 and earlier. These furnishings are of solid walnut and did service for some jtwo hundred years. The building is of brick, of a quaint design, but well built and well preserved. At the door is the measuring post at which negro slaves were stood and measured before being auctioned. The debtors’ prison adjoins the criminal Jail and also Is queer look'ng. In it those who were unable to pay their debts were confined until they could make good with their creditors. They were limited to certain bounds, which were declared by the Justices.