Location:
35 Court Square
Palmyra, Virginia 22963
Hours
*Please note: The Historic Courthouse is undergoing restoration and will not be available for tours during construction, likely through the end of 2026.
Make an appointment:
Call: 434-589-7910
Email: visit@fluvannahistory.org
Individual and group tours are welcome!
History of the Courthouse:
In 1828 Fluvanna citizens voted to move the county Court to the Village of Palmyra from its previous location on the south side of the Rivanna River near Napier’s Ford. The Reverend Walker Timberlake, who owned the entire village, donated four acres of land for the county buildings. The courthouse was designed by General John Hartwell Cocke of Bremo. He and Walker Timberlake were awarded the contract to erect the Courthouse in 1830, and the building was completed in 1831. Their bid was $4,999.
It is one of Virginia’s few antebellum courthouses to remain without additions and retain its original interior arrangement. Inscribed on the stone lintel above the Fluvanna County Courthouse entrance is “THE MAXIM HELD SACRED BY EVERY FREE PEOPLE / OBEY THE LAWS.” This building was used continuously as a courthouse for 170 years until the new Courthouse was built in 2001.
Today, the Historic Courthouse is used for meetings, lectures and historical tours. It is part of the Historic Landmark District of Palmyra Court Square and is owned by the County.
The Historic Courthouse is currently in the process of being restored by Fluvanna County. The Fluvanna Historical Society helped fundraise and acquire grants for this tremendous restoration project. Read more here.
Read a more comprehensive history of this important building and its architecture in the 2022 Historic Structure Report for the Fluvanna County Historic Courthouse prepared by John Milner Associates.
Postcard showing Palmyra Village in the early 1900s. Photo by W.E. Burgess.
Palmyra Village:
While you’re visiting the Historic Courthouse, make sure to take the self-guided Palmyra Village Walking Tour to learn the history of the Fluvanna County seat.
Take a Self Guided Walking Tour of Palmyra Village – Download the trifold brochure here.
Sometimes the Society offers guided walking tours of Palmyra Village. Please contact us if you are interested, and stay tuned to our events page for scheduled tours.
The old canal lock and remnants of the crib dam at Palmyra.
Historic Rivanna River Tour
Take this self-guided paddling tour, for a unique historical river experience, created as a capstone project for graduates of the Fluvanna Leadership Development Program. Nick Canada, Pat Beers Block, Barbara Haines, Dewey Haines, and Martha Lindauer collaborated with the Fluvanna Historical Society to flesh out the details of each location on the list, and the key information to educate about the various eras of Rivanna travel. Read more about the tour here.