Historic tavern with restaurant, event venue and theater in Hanover Courthouse, Virginia
Hanover Tavern (Hanover Tavern Foundation)
Hanover Courthouse, VA (13181 Hanover Courthouse Rd., Route 301)New on Amplifa
About Hanover Tavern
Hanover Tavern is a historic building and cultural center in Hanover Courthouse, Virginia, that has been in continuous operation since 1733. The current tavern building dates from 1791, with additions around 1822 and 1832. It is operated by the Hanover Tavern Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that purchased the tavern from the Barksdale Theatre in 1990 and subsequently stabilized and restored it over several years with more than USD 5 million in donated funds. The 3.5-acre grounds include the Restaurant & Pub with scratch-made cuisine, the 155-seat Bradley Theater – the original home of the Barksdale Theatre, the first dinner theater in the USA – as well as the E.J. Wade Coach House, opened in 2015, as a venue for weddings and events. More than 40 events and programs are offered annually, including tours, concerts, lectures, themed dinners and paranormal investigations. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as well as in the Virginia Landmarks Register.
- Site
- Hanover, VA
- Processes
- Restaurant & Pub (scratch-made cuisine), Private Events / Weddings / Facility Rental, Professional Theater (Bradley Theater), Educational Programs & School Programs / Field Trips, Historical Exhibits, Events & Program Categories (concerts, lectures, teas, themed dinners, paranormal investigations), Living History Events, Heritage Musical Events
- Certificates
- National Register of Historic Places, Virginia Landmarks Register
- Founded
- 1733
- Industries
- Gastronomy / Hospitality, Event and venue, Culture / Theater, Education / Historical education, Historic preservation
- 01
Historic preservation & restoration
- 02
Restaurant & Pub
- 03
Events & Programs
- 04
Professional Theater (Bradley Theater)
- 05
Educational programs & historical exhibits
Location
Hanover Tavern
USHistoric tavern, Restaurant & Pub, Bradley Theater (155 seats), E.J. Wade Coach House event venue
- Bradley Theater (155 seats)
- E.J. Wade Coach House (opened 2015, investment approx. USD 1.2 million)
- Herb Garden (since 2014)
Inside the production
Industries
Additional services
Reference customers
Preservation & Historic Conservation
The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and in the Virginia Landmarks Register. The Hanover Tavern Foundation preserves and operates the tavern as a historic, education-oriented and cultural center.
| Evidence | Hanover |
|---|---|
| National Register of Historic Places | |
| Virginia Landmarks Register |
History
- 1733
First tavern licensed at this site; continuous operation ever since
- 1750–1764
John & Eleanor Parks Shelton own the tavern; Patrick Henry marries Sarah Shelton and works at the tavern; in 1760 he receives his license to practice law
- 1781
Marquis de Chastellux describes the tavern as a "tolerably handsome inn"
- 1791
Construction of the current tavern building (additions around 1822/1832)
- 1800
Seven enslaved people of the tavern involved in the planning of Gabriel's Rebellion
- 1953
Six actors from New York purchase the tavern and found the Barksdale Theatre, the first dinner theater in the USA
- 1973
Barksdale produces "To Be Young, Gifted and Black" – the first professional play in Virginia about the African American experience
- 1990
Hanover Tavern Foundation purchases the tavern and 3.5 acres from Barksdale Theatre
- 1996
Restoration begins
- 2003
Installation of new heating and cooling systems; start of Bradley Theater conversion
- 2005
Restaurant opens in July; reopening to the public
- 2006
Theater performances in the Bradley Theater resume operations (January)
- 2012
Barksdale Theatre merges with Theatre IV to form Virginia Repertory Theatre
- 2015
E.J. Wade Coach House opens in June, investment approx. USD 1.2 million