John Walker built the structure that bears his name in 1824 or 1825. During its history, the beautiful building has served as a tavern, store, post office, voting precinct and possibly a hospital for wounded Union cavalrymen during the Civil War.
“Walkerton Tavern means a lot to the people of Henrico County because it’s part of their
heritage, their local history,” said Kim Sicola, the county’s curator for more than 15 years. “A lot of people remember when it was a home for the Bowles family or the Fleet family. It’s been a significant part of the community for a long time.”
Henrico County purchased the structure and two acres in 1995 for $200,000 from S. Douglas Fleet. The property was renovated using a $3.1 million bond referendum that the county passed in 2000.
Today, Walkerton spans 7,600 square feet and has 10 rooms, several furnished with period antiques and reproductions. As opposed to most historical sites, visitors are welcome to sit and enjoy the furnishings.
“We went through a lot of effort to furnish it in the style of 1830s and 1840s,” said Cindy Rinker, Walkerton site manager. We wanted to create the feeling of that time. Almost all of our furniture is not roped off. So if you want to sit in an antique chair, you can.”
Walkerton’s story is as unique as the swinging wall that some have described as an engineering marvel of the early 1800s. The wall is hinged and moves on a small wheel that has created a noticeable groove on the floor. It was used to divide or open a room for meetings to discuss local issues.
“As with many taverns during that time period, Walkerton was the central gathering place for the entire community,” Sicola said. “So a lot of meetings were held here. That swinging wall created more space to allow more people in the room where the meeting took place.”
Plenty of joy has been spread within the walls over the years. That continues as Walkerton functions as a viable choice for weddings, small dinners and a meeting place. That’s probably how Walker envisioned his tavern more than 180 years ago—people gathering and celebrating life events.
Unfortunately, the original owner died in 1826 and the property was placed on the auction block.
“That well-known brick tavern on the road from Richmond to Louisa courthouse” was how it was described during auction. Ironically, it was the auctioneer who purchased the property and ran it as a tavern in 1828 and 1829.
The real estate changed hands several times until the Hopkins family owned it from 1857 to 1941.
It was during this time that the legend of Walkerton Tavern took on an ominous turn. The Battle of Yellow Tavern, famous for the mortal wounding of Major General J.E.B. Stuart, occurred a few miles away. It was noted that Union Gen. Philip Sheridan and his cavalry corps left some of his seriously wounded in a large house along Mountain Road while en route to the battle. Experts speculate that since Walkerton Tavern was perhaps the largest house in the area, it was indeed the hospital where wounded Union troops were treated.
After the war, Walkerton served not only as a tavern but also as a post office for the area during the 1870s and 1880s.
The Cook family bought Walkerton in 1941. Laura Hill Bowles Cook was in middle school when her family moved in. She stayed until she was married and even then, she and her husband lived the first five years of their marriage there.
“I remember I had two goats as pets and they would make quite a racket running on the front porch,” Bowles Cook said. “I attended Old Glen Allen School (now Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen), which was just a hop, skip and jump outside my back door.”
When her father, George Bowles, died in 1981, Laura Cook sold the house to the Fleet family. The Fleets extensively restored the house before selling it to Henrico County.“I love going back and visiting,” said Bowles Cook, who now lives on Monument Avenue. “I’m pleased to see it so beautifully renovated. When we sold the property, we had a bigger offer, but we knew Mr. Fleet had the desire to restore it well. He and the county did a really great job.”
Visit www.co.henrico.va.us/rec/current_programs/walkerton.html for more information about programs and rental availability.
