Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 10/20/1981
NRHP Listing Date 07/08/1982
NRHP Reference Number 82004580
Completed in 1812 to serve the 1783 Pittsylvania courthouse, the former clerk’s office is the oldest public building in the town of Chatham. Built to be the chief repository of the county’s official records, it served from 1813 to 1852 under the charges of William Tunstall, Jr. and his son William H. Tunstall who succeeded him as clerk in 1836. The simple brick structure lost its original intended function in 1853 with the construction of the present county courthouse, which accommodated a new clerk’s office. A demolished one-room addition of 1833 was reconstructed when the building was restored by the Pittsylvania County Historical Society in 1987-89. The building is now used as the society’s museum and meeting place.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: November 18, 2021
