T. Ellzey (Seal)

Whether all of the buildings mentioned in this report actually existed
at that time may be questioned, since the survey plat shows only the
courthouse, clerk's office and jail. As to these three, the plat
showed the courthouse situated as at present, with the clerk's office
almost directly south a distance of about 300 feet, and the jail about
the same distance south, but in back and west of the clerk's office.
The plat does not show roads or other features of the platted parcel,
but the known position of the courthouse in relation to the turnpike
supports the suggestion that the brick tavern referred to was located
on the north side of the turnpike, the building later known variously
as the Willcoxen Tavern, the Union Tavern and the Fairfax Tavern. The
other buildings referred to in the report apparently left no traces,
for except through an occasional glimpse of them in old photographs of
the courthouse, they are not noted in the records of the court.

These buildings formed a cluster which, if it was not all neatly
enclosed within the courthouse fence, at least was immediately
adjacent to and integrated with the activities centered in the court.
In the first three decades of the nineteenth century, the town of
Providence grew up around the courthouse, and by 1835 some 50
dwellings and 200 residents were listed.[129] But the town never
eclipsed the courthouse; and, from its commanding position on the
gentle hill at the crossroads, the courthouse itself continues to
serve as a focal point and symbol of government.

_The Clerk's Office._ An office for the Clerk of the County Court was
mentioned in the survey of the courthouse lot made in March 1800, and
was shown on a location south of the courthouse about 200 feet and
east of the jail about sixty feet. According to the survey the office
was a relatively small building, one or one-and-one-half stories high,
with a chimney at the south end and a door opening on the east side.
This office was the depository of all important public records in the
county, and therefore was a focal point for much of the activity that
occurred at the courthouse throughout the year. A news report in the
_Alexandria Daily Advertiser_ of February 10, 1806 called for bids for
an addition to the clerk's office and repairs on the "public
building," all of which should be in accordance with a plan lodged
with Col. James Wren, and constructed of brick "covered with
slate