[7] Its name comes from an Algonquian language word lappihanne (also noted as toppehannock), meaning "Town on the rise and fall of water" or "where the tide ebbs and flows."

[8][9][10][11] In the mid 1660s, Captain Richard Hobbs had rights to 800 acres south of Gilson's Creek at the Rappahannock River.

In 1680, Virginia law required warehouses to be established in port towns, and that year surveyor George Morris created a survey showing Hobbs His Hole Harbour.

[13] The port was established at Hobbs Hole and called New Plymouth,[13] later changed back to the Native American name Tappahannock.

During the War of 1812, the town was seized by British naval forces under the command of Captain Robert Barrie on December 2, 1814.

[16][17] On July 15, 2022, a fire destroyed many businesses along Prince Street as well as multiple homes in downtown Tappahannock, burning nearly half the town block.

Founded by owners who are firefighters, the brewery produces craft beer and is part of the local food and beverage industry.

Historically, the building served as an "ordinary"—a combination of a tavern and inn—where travelers could pay for food and lodging with money or trade tobacco.

The structure predates the current road network in the area and functioned as a key stop along the main port.

The upper floor originally contained three small rooms that accommodated up to five guests each, with doors locked overnight for security and an external ladder provided for emergency exit.

The reopening of 1710 Tavern offers visitors an opportunity to experience aspects of Virginia’s colonial past alongside contemporary hospitality.

US 360 runs through town with US 17 on Church Lane, but turns east on Queen Street and crosses the mile-wide Rappahannock River via the Thomas J.