Capitol Building

The Capitol was built in 1705 and housed colonial Virginia's House of Burgesses. The brick building was destroyed in a fire in 1748 and the rebuilt Capital was the sight of several important events, including where Patrick Henry delivered his famous speech against the Stamp Act and where Thomas Jefferson debated the importance of religious freedom. In December 1779 the Virgina government moved to Richmond and the building was used for various businesses, including as a law school and as a military hospital, until it was destroyed in 1881. In 1934 the Capital was rebuilt once again, this time to look like the original Capital, and it was furnished with period decor. It is now it open for tours where you can learn about the Colony of Virgina and the American Revolution.