For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 12/16/1980
NRHP Listing Date 07/21/1982
NRHP Reference Number 82004529
This Eastern Shore community has been a judicial center for over three centuries. The settlement, originally called Matompkin, grew up around John Cole’s tavern where court was first held in the 1670s. It became the county seat by 1690. The town was laid out adjacent to the court square in 1786 and was known as Drummond or Drummondtown because it was on land which had been owned by Richard Drummond. Renamed Accomac in 1893, the town has evolved gently; its quiet, tree-shaded streets preserve numerous 18th- and 19th-century regional building types, both high-style and vernacular. Outstanding Federal houses include the Seymour house and the brick St. James’ rectory. Other noteworthy structures are Seven Gables, The Haven, and the Francis Makemie Presbyterian Church. The colonial courthouse was replaced in 1899 by the present sober Victorian structure designed by F. Bartholomew Smith. The district contains approximately 150 buildings.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated April 4, 2018
