A view of West Davis Street
The mayor of Culpeper used to have his office on West Davis Street, as pictured at right in this old picture.
West Davis Street, then and now, was and is a place of law.
The courthouse, jail, sheriff’s office and various legal offices occupy the block. The south side of the street was known as Lawyers’ Row; two of the one-
story offices survive next to the volunteer fire department.
Renowned American photographer Timothy O’Sullivan snapped a famous photo of West Davis Street looking east in August 1862, the month Union and Confederate forces clashed at Cedar Mountain, six miles from Culpeper Court House, as the town was known then.
On the left with chimneys, he captures the A.P. Hill building before its current-day renovations. This boyhood home of the famed Confederate general still
stands today at the corner of West Davis and Main streets.
Also pictured is Culpeper’s second courthouse - the current courthouse at West Davis and West streets was built in 1874.
Beyond that, in the distance, is the steeple of the old Culpeper Baptist Church, prior to the church burning about 1870. You’ll notice a horse wagon, which would have been a typical means of transportation back then.
Modern automobiles line West Davis Street today. So does Tea, Lace & Roses in a brick building, a Victorian style teahouse opened by Joan Byrnes in 2002.
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