Boyd Tavern
The first weekend in October finds Boyds from across the country meeting here at the Boyd Tavern in Boydton, Virginia... Joyce traces her roots to these Boyds not here in the states, but rather in Scotland by way of Ireland. The group she most closely associates with originally settled in South Carolina, though these Virginia Boyds are cousins nonetheless.
The tavern was originally constructed in 1785 as an ordinary (what we would think of as a hotel) situated in Boydton, a small town that would eventually become the county seat of Mecklenburg County, Virginia. In 1794, it was bought by Alexander Boyd. From that time to this, the structure had undergone changes that reflect its current federal style. It has served as a tavern, a hotel, a courthouse and jail, a stagecoach depot, and a mustering place for local Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. A courtroom at a tavern? I suppose it makes sense if you're having a bad day in court. A modern courthouse now exists on the opposite corner... sadly, it lacks a tavern.
From the beginning, the Boyd family has continued a connection to this place. Many can trace their lineage back to Alexander Boyd and beyond… I can trace mine back to my grandma. I’ve come to know them as a family with a passion for life and place, and a compassion for others... a salt-of-the-earth southern gentility seems to be a commonality among them. Perhaps those aspects are well steeped into these folks who find their ties to a place that was known for its hospitality.
The Boyd Tavern is essentially a museum that gives us a unique view of the time of a fledgling United States... a peek into the history that brings us where we are. Where history is concerned, it seems the older you get, the more relevant it becomes… perhaps that’s because it has somehow weaved itself into our very being.
"To me, history ought to be a source of pleasure. It isn't just part of our civic responsibility. To me, it's an enlargement of the experience of being alive, just the way literature or art or music is." – David McCullough
Boyd Tavern
The first weekend in October finds Boyds from across the country meeting here at the Boyd Tavern in Boydton, Virginia... Joyce traces her roots to these Boyds not here in the states, but rather in Scotland by way of Ireland. The group she most closely associates with originally settled in South Carolina, though these Virginia Boyds are cousins nonetheless.
The tavern was originally constructed in 1785 as an ordinary (what we would think of as a hotel) situated in Boydton, a small town that would eventually become the county seat of Mecklenburg County, Virginia. In 1794, it was bought by Alexander Boyd. From that time to this, the structure had undergone changes that reflect its current federal style. It has served as a tavern, a hotel, a courthouse and jail, a stagecoach depot, and a mustering place for local Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. A courtroom at a tavern? I suppose it makes sense if you're having a bad day in court. A modern courthouse now exists on the opposite corner... sadly, it lacks a tavern.
From the beginning, the Boyd family has continued a connection to this place. Many can trace their lineage back to Alexander Boyd and beyond… I can trace mine back to my grandma. I’ve come to know them as a family with a passion for life and place, and a compassion for others... a salt-of-the-earth southern gentility seems to be a commonality among them. Perhaps those aspects are well steeped into these folks who find their ties to a place that was known for its hospitality.
The Boyd Tavern is essentially a museum that gives us a unique view of the time of a fledgling United States... a peek into the history that brings us where we are. Where history is concerned, it seems the older you get, the more relevant it becomes… perhaps that’s because it has somehow weaved itself into our very being.
"To me, history ought to be a source of pleasure. It isn't just part of our civic responsibility. To me, it's an enlargement of the experience of being alive, just the way literature or art or music is." – David McCullough