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Before America became a country, a group of people ventured out looking for a new life in a new world. On April 10, 1606, King James I chartered the Virginia Companie of London to settle North America, and colonists set sail aboard the Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery. The area’s long association with the land and the water began May 14, 1607 when the party of pioneering settlers stepped ashore at what is now Jamestown, Virginia. Clipper ships sailing into Smithfield’s old wharf harbor brought in goods from the outside world and returned with hams and peanuts that have made Smithfield famous.
Among the several 18th century buildings which Smithfield boasts is the old inn on Main Street which was widely known for more than 40 years as “Sykes Inn.” The house was built in 1752 as a private residence for Henry Woodley of Four Square Plantation. In 1756 it was sold to William Rand. In 1759 he applied for a license to operate a tavern on the premises and began operating an inn to serve the main stage coach route which passed through from Norfolk to Richmond. Thus began almost 250 years of innkeeping tradition as the inn offered hospitality to the traveler coming by ship and later by stagecoach and steamboat, then motor cars. The original brick house was described as ‘upwards of 50 foot in length, with four rooms below three above and a good cellar…adjoining the courthouse.'
In 1792 the heirs of William Rand sold to Mallory Todd who rented to various occupants. It was bought by the Vestry of Christ Episcopal Church in 1854. During the Civil War it fell into disrepair and remained so until 1870 when they began repairs which included raising the roof to a full second story. They sold it in 1892. In the early 1900’s it was home to the Goodsons, the Gards, and the Briggs. It remained mostly unchanged until 1922 when Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Sykes bought it and made renovations, adding the long kitchen and dining room wing and enlarging the porch across the entire front. The Sykes Inn was known for its home cooked foods, leisurely formality and refined attendance. Mrs. Sykes retired in 1968 and several owners ran the inn in the interim.
Now owned by Smithfield Foods and Joe Luter III (family of Mrs. Sykes). The Smithfield Inn celebrates the charming, genteel Old South. Steeped in comfort and tradition reminiscent of simpler times, the Inn offers guests good food and a relaxed atmosphere. |
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