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Nearby is the courthouse (brick building below right) and the stocks (also below right, with the Peyton Randolph House in the background).
There is a specific air of authenticity in this space, and yet, I cannot imagine it during its heyday. I have to wonder how manicured the lawns and gardens were in the 1700s. I wonder how clean these things were when they were originally in use. How did this place smell? What did it sound like? I know it did not have pavement down the center. In fact, many people still remember when the street was gravel and before that, dirt. Those modifications have probably saved some of the cleaning from dust and mud. |
Some of these structures are also privately owned and lived in as residences. They are certainly beautiful, but this is probably the strictest HOA in the country. While I would love to own a piece of the 18th Century, I don't think I would feel comfortable being on display.