With the completion of the Fauquier and Alexandria Turnpike, later known as the Warrenton Turnpike, a new line of mail coaches was established through Centreville. The route began at Fairfax Courthouse and traveled along the turnpike to Orange Courthouse.

The timing of the stage was coordinated with the arrival and departure times of other stage lines. The stage left Fairfax Courthouse on Mondays and Wednesdays at 6am upon the arrival of the stage from Alexandria. It took a day and a half for the stage to make its way to Orange Courthouse, arriving at 2 pm the following day, the same time that a stage line arrived from Fredericksburg. The return trip left Orange Courthouse at 8 am on Mondays and Wednesdays, upon the arrival of the stage from Charlottesville, and arrived at Fairfax Courthouse the following day at 4 pm, arriving at the same time as the Winchester stage.[1]

The total distance from Fairfax Courthouse to Orange Courthouse along the mail coach route was 75 miles.[2]

Shorter distances and picturesque countryside were touted as benefits travelers should consider. The new route to Charlottesville was about the same distance as that by Fredericksburg, but was advertised to be the better road in winter. Travel to Staunton was shorter taking the new line than traveling by way of Winchester. In addition to the picturesque countryside, the curious and intelligent traveler would achieve a captivating view of Monticello and the University of Virginia by taking a mail coach over the Fauquier and Alexandria Turnpike.[3]

The proprietor purchased close comfortable coaches, strong active horses, and discreet and careful drivers. He warrented that the accommodations were excelled by none.

The amount of the fare was calculated based on the distance you traveled from Fairfax Courthouse. The following rates applied in 1827:

To Centreville - 62 ½ cents

To Haymarket - $1.50

To Buckland - $1.75

To New Baltimore - $2.10

To Warrenton - $2.50

To Jefferson - $3.25

To Culpepper Courthouse - $4.50

To Orange Courthouse - $6.00

The mail coaches made the trip in stages, stopping along the route to refresh both passengers and horses. One such stop was at a tavern in Centreville operated for many years by a tavern-keeper named Enoch Grigsby. It was located directly on the Fauquier and Alexandria Turnpike at the east end of Centreville adjacent to the turnpike gate. [4] The lot next to the tavern was known as the Stage Stable Lot.[5]

The tavern was owned by various men through the years while Grigsby ran the tavern, including Fewell Perry, George Millan, and John Hooe.[6] The tavern was described in a newspaper advertisement in 1825:

…72 feet in front, with a porch the whole length; good cellars with fire-places in the same, kitchen, ice house, pump of unexceptionable water in the yard, extra-ordinary garden and a stable with a lot attached thereto…[7]

The ice house was located thirty or forty yards from the door, and as would be expected, the tavern contained a supper room.[8]

The tavern may have been originally built in 1819, and known as the Centreville Hotel. It was operated by John Bronough who noted that the tavern was

…fitted up in a style well suited to the perfect accommodation of travelers, and where a choice selection of liquors will be constantly kept for their refreshment. There is attached to this property, a good carriage-house; together with an excellent stable, which will always be supplied with the best of hay and oats, and attended by a good hostler…[9]

While the tavern was owned by George Millan, it was known as the Union Hotel. In 1833, Millan had repairs made to both the stage stable and the tavern portico. The work included planks for the portico floor, shingles, studs for the portico, a lock bolt, and plank and nails for the stable.[10]

The Stage Stable Lot was still known as such up to the Civil War.[11]