Penny's Tavern Site

At the crossroads just south of here stood Penny’s (Penney’s) Tavern, named for Lincefield Penney, who purchased the property in 1811. The tavern was a local gathering place and served travelers on the road to the old Spotsylvania courthouse site (1781-1837), about two miles north of here across the Po River. The courthouse burned in 1837 and was rebuilt at its present location to the northeast, reducing traffic here and contributing to the tavern’s decline. Mansfield Wiglesworth purchased the property in 1836 and operated Wiglesworth Tavern, which had closed by the time of the Civil War. The intersection where the tavern once stood was known as Penny’s Crossroads into the 20th century.