Beverley's Mill Place

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William Beverley established his home on a 7050 acre parcel on Lewis Creek in Beverley's Grant by 1734. A portion of that parcel, known as the Mill Place, was set aside to serve civic functions when the County of Augusta was formed in 1748.

In anticipation of the organization William Beverley, the patentee, had erected a court house on his land and at the southwest corner of the present court house lot. On the day the commissions to the county officers were issued at Williamsburg Beverley wrote from the same place to the justices of Augusta informing them that he had erected the house referred to at his mill place and would before spring make a deed for the house and two acres of land about the same to the use of the county to build their prison, stocks, etc on. It will be observed that nothing was said about Staunton as the county seat. There were doubtless some dwellings and other houses here but the spot was then only known as Beverley's Mill Place. From: Source:Waddell, 1902:52

Apparently Beverley scrimped on the construction costs:

The building erected by Mr Beverley is described in a presentment by the Grand Jury May 21 1748. It was thirty eight feet three inches long and eighteen feet three inches wide in the clear, built with logs hewed on both sides not layed close some of the cracks between the logs quite open four or five inches wide and four or five feet long, and some stopped with chunks and clay, but not quite close two small holes cut for windows. but no glass or shutters to them the inside, not furnished, nor fitting for his Majesty's Judicatory to sit. Signed Wm Christian Foreman. From: Source:Waddell, 1902:52

None the less, "The Mill Place" soon became the hub of the community, and eventually took the name of "Staunton", by which it is known today.

	Key: Tan, William Beverley's parcel Cross Hatch, Beverley's Mill Place Lightgrey, unassigned parcels Purple line, parcel boundaries Black line, Boundary of Beverley's Manor Blue line, streams