Virginia Department of Historic Resources
(dhr.virginia.gov)
For Immediate Release
October 2025
Contact:
Ivy Tan
Department of Historic Resources
Marketing & Communications Manager
ivy.tan@dhr.virginia.gov
804-482-6445
—Built in the late 18th century across from the county courthouse, the storied tavern served as a center for social and political activity for more than a century—
—Text of marker reproduced below—
PLEASE NOTE: DHR creates markers not to “honor” their subjects but rather to educate and inform the public about a person, place, or event of regional, state, or national importance. In this regard, erected markers are not memorials.
RICHMOND – The Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) has announced that a state historical marker approved by the Virginia Board of Historic Resources was dedicated highlighting Mahone’s Tavern, an establishment that was once owned and operated by the father of William Mahone, the Confederate general who became a leader of the biracial Readjuster Party after the Civil War.
The dedication program for the marker was held Sunday, November 2, at 3 p.m., at the General District Courtroom inside the Southampton County Courthouse, which stands directly across the street from Mahone’s Tavern & Museum. The marker unveiling was held at the marker’s location outside the tavern. The event was free and open to the public.
The dedication program featured a lineup of speakers including the clerk of Southampton County Circuit Court, Richard Francis, who served as keynote speaker, and Jennifer Loux, Ph.D., DHR’s highway marker program manager. At the conclusion of the program, guests were asked to proceed across the street to the site of the marker, where its unveiling took place. Guests were invited to tour the tavern after the unveiling.
Built circa 1796 across from the Southampton County courthouse, Mahone’s Tavern served as a hub for political and social activity for over a century. Known as Kello’s Tavern early in the 1800s, it provided a haven for citizens and an encampment for soldiers during the time of Nat Turner’s insurrection in 1831. From 1841 to 1855, the tavern was operated by Fielding J. Mahone, the father of William Mahone, the Confederate major general who famously became a leader of the biracial Readjuster Party after the Civil War. William, who was also a railroad magnate and U.S. senator, lived in the tavern during his youth. In the 1860s, the tavern was the childhood home of John J. Kindred, a five-term congressman from New York. Also known as Howard’s Hotel, the building was designated on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.
The Virginia Board of Historic Resources, which is authorized to designate new state historical markers, approved the manufacture and installation of the Mahone’s Tavern historical marker in December 2024. Mahone’s Tavern & Museum, Inc., covered the cost of the marker and planned the dedication event.
Virginia’s historical highway marker program began in 1927 with installation of the first markers along U.S. Route 1. It is considered the oldest such program in the nation. Currently there are more than 2,600 state markers, mostly maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation, except in those localities outside of VDOT’s authority.
Full Text of Marker:
Mahone’s Tavern
Mahone's Tavern, built ca. 1796 across from the Southampton Co. courthouse, was a center of political and social activity for more than a century. Known as Kello’s Tavern early in the 1800s, it served as a refuge for citizens and as an encampment for soldiers at the time of Nat Turner’s insurrection in 1831. Fielding J. Mahone operated the tavern from 1841 to 1855. His son, William Mahone, a railroad magnate, Confederate major general, leader of the biracial Readjuster Party, and U.S. senator, lived here as a youth. John J. Kindred, a five-term congressman from NY, lived here as a child in the 1860s. Also known as Howard’s Hotel, the building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
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