Photos by Ashley Peterson Photography, except where noted.
William J. "Billy" Viverette and fiancèe Karen Saul relax on the multi-level porch of the Customs House, enjoying the sweeping view of the Rappahannock River.
Nestled into the hillside at the end of Prince Street, with a commanding view of the Rappahannock River, sits one of Tappahannock’s oldest homes, the historic Customs House. It is one of 13 structures comprising the Tappahannock Historic District, which is both a Virginia and a National Landmark District. For nearly 300 years, the property has stood as a silent sentinel to the evolution of the town and the nation, and oh, the stories it could tell.
The earliest history of the house is difficult to pin down, as complete documents of the time are scarce, but records disclose that a house was on the site in 1751. The first recorded owner of the property was Archibald Ritchie, a successful colonial merchant and father of the renowned Virginia journalist, editor and publisher, Thomas Ritchie. There is a deed that states that Archibald Ritchie acquired adjacent plots (“slips”) of land on the river soon after 1750, and the Customs House sits on one of them — Slip 77.
Rear elevation of the Customs house overlooking the river.
Tappahannock and the Stamp Act
A 1975 article by Charles W.H. Warner, published by the Essex County Historical Society, outlined a few instances of how Archibald Ritchie and his home had a role to play in events leading up to the American Revolution. As we know from our history lessons, in early 1765 in an effort to raise money for its growing empire, England’s Parliament passed The Stamp Act, which provided that stamped paper must be used for all legal documents, pamphlets, newspapers, almanacs and other articles. The revenue from the sale of stamped paper was to be used for “defending, protecting and securing” the colonies. Great debate and protest erupted, in part led by Patrick Henry, and the Virginia House of Burgesses resolved to resist The Stamp Act.
Rear elevation of the Customs House before removal of Civil War-era stucco. Photo courtesy of the Essex County Museum and Historical Society.
Archibald Ritchie was a wealthy merchant in Tappahannock, dealing with many planters along the Rappahannock River and with numerous mercantile firms in England. Ritchie thought it wise to comply with The Stamp Act and announced his intention to do so. The countryside was aghast and then enraged upon hearing of Ritchie’s statement. Thomas Ludwell Lee and his brother Richard Henry Lee proposed paying Mr. Ritchie a visit and insisting that he publicly offer a written apology for his support of the act. Consequently, the first popular mass protest against The Stamp Act happened on February 21, 1766, on the Rappahannock. Men of Essex County, led by Col. Francis Waring and Col. William Roane, went to Ritchie’s home and protested his stand regarding the hated act. Troops from a British warship were landed at Tappahannock and dispersed the men. Further, the Lee brothers pressed for a meeting of patriots opposing The Stamp Act. The meeting took place on February 27, 1766, at Bray’s Church in Leedstown, Westmoreland County. The result was the Leedstown Resolves, a series of six resolutions penned by Richard Henry Lee in defiance of The Stamp Act and other abridgments of liberties in the colonies. The Resolves were one of the first public acts against the crown, protesting “taxation without representation,” thus paving the road to revolution.
The very next day, 400 men gathered in Tappahannock calling themselves the Friends of Liberty or Sons of Liberty (an earlier branch of the Sons of Liberty responsible for the Boston Tea Party). They drew up in two lines of military formation while a committee representing the 400 patriots roused Ritchie from his bed, marched him out in the public square and demanded, not so politely, that he make oath to the Resolves or face the consequences, which included being fixed to the town pillory (riding a rail and tarring and feathering might have been mentioned as well). Ritchie asked for time to think this over but was not accommodated. He promptly signed an oath of loyalty to the Resolves and against The Stamp Act. It was reported that by late 1774, Archibald Ritchie was a firm patriot, being a member of the Association of Essex to prevent trade with Britain and to protect American rights.
From Tavern to Customs House and Beyond
Before the Customs House was named the Customs House, it was known as Whitlock’s Ordinary. Although it was still owned by Ritchie, the tavern was run by John Whitlock and was a popular meeting place for both social and political discussions. The tavern offered the usual diversions of the time: lodgings, food, alcoholic beverages, card games and billiards. At times the tavern may have acquired a more rowdy reputation. According to Essex County Museum’s book, Essex County Virginia Historic Homes, Landon Carter wrote in his diary in 1771 that the tavern was “a very shocking place indeed.” Regardless of its reputation, it was said that George Washington often stayed there during his tenure in the House of Burgesses.
Even though Tappahannock had been a legal port as early as 1680, it was in 1786 that the town became the chief port in the state, more important at the time than the famous port in Yorktown. Tappahannock was also an official tobacco inspection station. The collector of customs (taxes/duties), Lawrence Muse, lived in the house at the time. Any ship that arrived at the town port had to go there to pay taxes on the incoming goods, including tobacco. His home became known as the Customs House. It was rumored that smugglers had constructed a secret underground tunnel between the Customs House and the Brockenbrough House to divert goods and avoid paying taxes on their shipments.
The Customs House passed among many owners over the years and is noted as one of the few historic homes to have been purchased rather than inherited. In 1911, it was bought by Allen D. Latané, editor of the Rappahannock Times and clerk of the Essex County Circuit Court. Latané reinforced the ceiling of the basement with steel beams and installed a printing press there. A metal slab from the press still serves as the bottom step of the stairway leading to the front porch. In the 1930s, Latané came into possession of a Mad Stone. Similar stones were said to have great medicinal powers for extracting poisons from a person’s body. For the benefit of future generations, Latané willed the stone to the clerk’s office, where it still stirs the wonder of doubters and believers. Among his many talents, Latané was a poet, and in 1941 he wrote a book of original poetry titled Vagaries and Memories. The book features a poem called “Just a Little Cottage,” in which Latané may have been describing the Customs House as “... a lovely little nest, that breathes of home and love, of quietness and rest.”
Successive owners have made their unique embellishments and improvements to the property — a child’s bedroom, modern plumbing and electrical systems, a tin roof, and removal of Civil War-era stucco to reveal the authentic brick underneath. Many of the home’s features remain original — the doors, door hinges, staircases, fireplace mantels, heart pine floors and brickwork.
A sample of relics, including pottery shards and a hand-forged iron nail.
The current owner, attorney William J. “Billy” Viverette, maintains the Customs House as a part-time residence and law office. Over the years, Viverette and his fiancée, Karen Saul, have made their own enhancements to the property, attempting to recreate the lovely nest of quietness and rest, as Latané wrote about in his poem. Once, during a particularly grueling day of yard work, the pair uncovered the brick outlines of a hidden formal English garden. Viverette has also restored the multi-level porch overlooking the river; added a new HVAC system; and renovated the master bedroom, downstairs sunroom and half-bath, replacing the floors with reclaimed pine boards to match the original flooring wherever possible. The main level of the five-floor structure features an expansive hallway, living room, sunroom, half-bath and kitchen. Upstairs are two bedrooms and a bathroom, along with a walk-up attic. The English basement has a den/office, bedroom, bathroom, laundry and garden room, and at one time may have served as a stable for horses — a split, solid wood stable door is still in use today as the laundry room door. The partially underground basement, once used as a garage in the early twentieth century, serves as a utility and workroom today and offers a peek at the multiple layers of brick used in building the walls of the house.
The enigmatic Customs House has continued to reveal its secrets to careful observers. The timbers in the attic are marked consecutively with Roman numerals along the entire length of the house. In colonial times, when the A-frames for the top of the house were built, the wooden beams used to make each separate frame were grouped together and numbered to ensure that the correct beams were connected together. Artifacts have been unearthed throughout the property — bits of pottery, a clay pipe, even a Spanish Real (“royal”) coin found wedged in a crack in the floor. Viverette and Saul have a collection of relics that have surfaced in and around the Customs House. They keep their historic treasures tucked away, just waiting for inspiration to suggest a creative way to display them. One secret yet to be revealed — it has been whispered that the home is haunted, though the specifics of the haunting remain shrouded in mystery — and perhaps that’s a good thing.
A serene veranda setting.
Many thanks to David Jett, curator of The Essex County Museum and Historical Society, for his help with this article. Thanks, too, to Billy Viverette and Karen Saul for graciously providing access and information.