Wiley's Tavern Archaeological Site

Wiley's Tavern Archaeological Site, Danripple vicinity. The 18th-century Wiley's Tavern served alternately as the headquarters of British general Lord Cornwallis and his American counterpart, Gen. Nathaniel Greene, during the decisive military stratagem known as the retreat to the Dan River. The tavern was built ca. 1771 for William Wiley. Constructed of log, the small, crude structure was typical of the establishments that dotted the farther reaches of Virginia in the late colonial period. The building eventually collapsed in the 1950s. Archaeological excavation of the tavern site should reveal architectural  data helpful to understand rural life in Halifax County during the Revolutionary period. It may also yield data on the construction and operation of a back country tavern, as well as information on colonial trade on a major north-south thoroughfare. (41-39) VLR: 7/31/80

This information is provided by TheVirginia Department of Historic Resources
and is being republished here with the consent of
the Gazette-Virginian & the Halifax County Chamber of Commerce Tourism Committee.

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