Haymarket, Virginia

History

The Haymarket Museum chronicles the story of a small, 19th century town and its surrounding agricultural community. Haymarket was established in 1799 and was well known for the Red House Tavern, built along the historic Old Carolina Road, as well as the Jockey Club, an organization that sponsored horse races at the town’s track. In 1862 the town was almost completely destroyed by a Union patrol that, sent to uncover a suspected sniper, wound up setting fire to most of the homes. Decimated by the destruction of the Civil War, the town nonetheless rebuilt and many of the buildings from the reconstruction period survive, as do the only two buildings that survived the 1862 fire.