THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, May 31, 1995 TAG: 9505270154
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 05 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LINDA MCNATT, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ISLE OF WIGHT LENGTH: Medium: 83 lines
Local history buffs are getting ready for a trip to Richmond this week to meet with the Commonwealth Transportation Board.
And the message they will carry with them is: Save the tavern now.
Boykin's Tavern, the center of 18th century social life in Isle of Wight County, has been deteriorating for years on the courthouse grounds. It is one of only a handful of such taverns left in the state.
Earlier this year, the county Board of Supervisors agreed to help restoration efforts by applying for a $350,000 grant through the Federal Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act - whose acronym, ISTEA, is pronounced ``ice tea.'' The Isle of Wight Historical Society agreed to support the application and to help raise matching funds to save the tavern.
ISTEA grants are intended to beautify states' highways and secondary roads, including nearby sites of historic and natural interest.
Restoration of Boykin's Tavern reportedly ranked high among state officials looking at grant applications from throughout the Old Dominion - but not high enough when funding was announced earlier this month.
``There were about 30 projects funded. Boykin's Tavern was not one of them,'' said Lynn Harris, the county's economic development director.
Boykin's Tavern originally was built as a two-room house in 1698 and later was expanded to 10 rooms. It stands on the side of U.S. 258, just to the left of the Isle of Wight County Courthouse.
In 1780, it was bought by Francis Boykin, a Revolutionary War soldier who served under Patrick Henry and spent a winter at Valley Forge with George Washington.
Boykin was appointed sheriff after the war. He bought the house, added eight rooms and used it as his residence and as an inn and tavern.
It was a place where travelers stopped overnight on their way to Suffolk or North Carolina and where lawyers and judges stayed during court sessions. For years, the old tavern was used as a private residence.
When the county bought it in 1974, few county supervisors knew what a historical jewel they had acquired. In February that year, the board discussed razing it - until a letter from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources pointed out that the destruction of Boykin's Tavern would be ``a loss not only to the historical legacy of Isle of Wight County but to the Commonwealth as a whole.''
The local historical society several years ago spent some money to help shore up one side of the tavern. Since then, little maintenance has been done. The chimneys are held together by chains.
But there still may be hope for the tavern, Harris said, through private donations or by trying one last time to appeal to the Transportation Board.
``I'm not sure the tavern will last another year,'' she said. ``One good storm, and it could be out of here. We've got to make that clear.''
The tavern project ranked near 40th in priority. The ISTEA grants funded 32 applications with a total of $8.6 million in federal funds, said Wade Chenault, engineer senior with the Transportation Department.
``The federal bill still has another year to run,'' Chenault said. ``Boykin's Tavern should have a good chance next year.''
Harris said locals fear the old tavern may not have that much time left. That's why residents who support restoring the tavern plan to attend the public hearing in Richmond.
``We're trying to rally public support to go up there,'' Harris said. ``We are trying to organize everybody. We've got to make it clear that the tavern may not be standing next year.
``We may still have a shot at this.'' by CNB