1869: The Courthouse Burned
Buckingham County Courthouse, Photo by Joanne Yeck
Many of us interested in the history and genealogy of Buckingham County have struggled with the absence of records due to the burning of Buckingham’s courthouse in early 1869. Fewer of us, however, have thought about the immediate consequences of the “disaster.”
Newspapers reporting state-wide news announced:
The county of Buckingham has no courthouse, no clerk’s office, no records, no judge, nobody to administer the law and no one who is qualified under the reconstruction acts to administer it.
We do know that meetings were held at the nearby Brick Tavern to deal with the calamity. An executive proclamation by the Governor of Virginia declared this a suitable place for holding court in the absence of a courthouse. Gentlemen Justices Robert B. Shaw, Jr., John Spencer, Charles S. Saunders, Henry St. George Harris, and Moses A. Smith presided over that troubled first court after the destruction of the courthouse.
Not being conversant with The Reconstruction Acts (1867-1868), can a Slate River Ramblings reader expand on this disturbing state of affairs in Buckingham County? Was Buckingham County left in a dangerous sort of suspended animation?
For much more about the burning of Buckingham’s courthouse, see: “Incalculable Loss: The Burning of Buckingham Courthouse” in “At a Place Called Buckingham”.
slate river ramblings . . . . 
Hello to all Please post the boarders of Buckingham county to the adjacent counties, and when they became documented, as I received an email asking me where the boarders were and where they were established, to which I have no clue, BUT, since he brought the question up, I too am now interested, as I’m sure many others are. Thank you for always helping to answer our questions. God bless America Gloria
On Mon, Jan 23, 2017 at 8:56 AM, slate river ramblings . . . . wrote:
> Joanne Yeck posted: ” Buckingham County Courthouse, Photo by Joanne Yeck > Many of us interested in the history and genealogy of Buckingham County > have struggled with the absence of records due to the burning of > Buckingham’s courthouse in early 1869. Fewer of us, however, hav” >
Gloria, The Wikipedia article about Buckingham County not only provids the adjacent counties but also many other interesting facts about the county. Here’s the link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckingham_County,_Virginia Joanne