The early 19th-century Museum Building near the Fincastle courthouse project was demolished Thursday, after Botetourt County and Fincastle representatives and builders advised that the building was not in stable enough condition to be moved safely, agreeing to build a replica instead.
Planning for Botetourt County’s new circuit courthouse originally involved relocating the historic building, which was in the way of construction.
The property once housed the law office of James Breckenridge, a veteran of the Revolutionary War and War of 1812, a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and a U.S. congressman. After an expansion, the building also served as part of the Western Hotel complex in the 1840s and 1850s, which was a “frontier stop-off” for those traveling West, former Botetourt County Circuit Judge Malfourd “Bo” Trumbo said…