Located in Powhatan County, Red Lane Tavern was built by Joseph B. Davis in 1832. Edward W. Preston operated an ordinary there from 1836 to 1845. This rare rural tavern epitomizes the Tidewater South folk house, and it is representative of the utilitarian structures that catered to the needs of travelers in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Such rural taverns were also local gathering places where neighbors exchanged information, conducted business, and gathered news of the outside world from travelers. In its broad, open setting and under its massive oak tree, Red Lane Tavern is a Powhatan County landmark in the truest sense of the word. The Red Lane Tavern property holds a great deal of archaeological potential, which could shed valuable light on this under represented and recorded building type.