Historic Courthouse
By Nayeli Martinez and Jordan Taylor
Embedded Files
Introduction
Introduction
Chatham County Historic Courthouse.
Courtesy of chathamcounty.gov
The Chatham County Historic Courthouse is located in the heart of downtown Pittsboro, North Carolina, uniquely situated in the center of a traffic circle. Not to be confused with the new judicial building that is constructed just south, the Historic Courthouse contains much of the history surrounding the small town of Pittsboro in Chatham County; however, this building also has quite a fascinating history of its own! There exists a vast amount of information on the architecture, societal history, and even legacy of the Chatham County Historic Courthouse.
Establishment of Chatham County and Previous Courthouses
Establishment of Chatham County and Previous Courthouses
Chatham County, North Carolina was established in 1771 after a 1770 decision to split it off from Orange County. It was named for the first Earl of Chatham, William Pitt (1708-1778), known as a defender of the rights of American colonists in British Parliament. "Pittsborough", as it was originally spelled, was established as the county seat in 1787 and named for William Pitt, the younger [1].
Following the establishment of the county, court proceedings were first held in the home of Captain Stephen Poe, as there was no official courthouse building yet. The first official courthouse was built out of wood around 1772 on the land of Mial Scurlock, about half of a mile south of present-day Pittsboro [2], the supposed geographic center of the county with reportedly excellent sources of spring water [3] [4]. This building was eventually moved and served as a store and garage before burning down in the 1920s [5].
The building that served as Chatham County's first courthouse and jail. Courtesy of UNC-CH Wilson Library, North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives.
The second courthouse was built in 1787, coinciding with the creation of Pittsboro. This structure was also built out of wood, but at the current Historic Courthouse location; however, a dramatic storm blew the roof off during a trial, and the growing fear of fires pushed people to move away from wooden structures [6]. In 1843, a new brick courthouse replaced the wooden one, said to be the first brick building in the county [7]. By late 1870, the brick walls of this courthouse began to crumble and the building overall began to deteriorate, contributing to the necessity of an improved courthouse [8].
1881 Courthouse
1881 Courthouse
Newspaper clipping from 1881.
Courtesy of The Chatham Record.
The Chatham County Historic Courthouse began construction in 1881 and is located at 9 Hillsboro St. in Pittsboro. It was designed by Thomas B. Womack, a local citizen, and the contractors were W.L. London and Alvis J. Bynum. It was built for a total cost of $10,666 [9]. It was the fourth courthouse built to hold a court in Chatham County; the fifth, and current, location of the court is the Judicial Center, built about a quarter-mile south of the Historic Courthouse in 2012.
The 1881 courthouse was a two-story rectangular structure built of local, Chatham County clay baked in a kiln about a mile and a half southwest of Pittsboro; at the time, it was a popular pastime for people to visit the kilns and see the bricks being made [10]. The courthouse featured a centerpiece made up of a projecting portico and was crowned with a prominent three-stage cupola. The porch featured three arched entrances to the north with single arches on the sides. Above this first-story entrance was a balcony with four fluted Doric-style columns [11]. The architecture of the courthouse is inspired by Ancient Greek architecture, just as many other official buildings are, such as the White House located in Washington, DC. The Greek Revival style was popular in North Carolina courthouse architecture, as it “vividly reflected the temple of justice concept” [12].
Photo of Chatham County Historic Courthouse pillar.
Courtesy of Cindy Schmidt.
Two essential items in courthouse designs of the 1800s were: 1. A bell to alarm townspeople of fire, and 2. A clock to inform townspeople of the time. Unfortunately for the 1881 courthouse, Chatham County was never able to secure the funds to incorporate a clock. An 1882 fund raising effort came close to the $450 necessary, but according to local historians, “town fathers” arrived and demanded the funds for schools [13]. It would not be until the year 2000 that the courthouse would finally receive its clock, although the chimes that can be heard from it actually play from a digital recording!
When the Chatham County Historic Courthouse was first built, it was used as a gathering grounds due to it being the geographic, judicial, and cultural center of the county. The quality of the new courthouse was much appreciated by the citizens of the county, as stated in the July 20, 1882 edition of the Chatham Record: “There was not a very large crowd attending court, but all who did attend were comfortably seated in our new court room, instead of standing up all day jammed and crowded together as always was the case in the old courtroom…” [14].
Renovations
Renovations
Photo of Chatham County Courthouse featuring the 1930s addition.
Courtesy of courthousehistory.com.
The 1881 courthouse experienced a number of changes and renovations over the next century and beyond. As part of efforts to boost the U.S. economy during the economic crisis of the Great Depression, the Works Projects Administration performed renovation work to the Chatham County Courthouse by adding a one-story addition to the east elevation in 1938 [15].
The characteristic traffic circle surrounding the Chatham County Historic Courthouse was not always part of the original building; it was constructed around 1947. Before this, drivers going from Siler City to Raleigh turned north at the courthouse, traveled up a block and a half past the stoplight, and then turned right onto 64 [16].
In 1959, the interior of the courthouse, from top to bottom, was extensively remodeled. The exterior remained virtually unchanged, other than the removal of three chimneys. As part of this remodel, the courthouse gained both central heating and air conditioning, making it “the first courthouse in the state to be so equipped" [17]. Notably, the courtroom on the second floor received mahogany paneling from the Philippines, carved in imitation of 18th-century styles [18]. This renovation came at a cost of $130,000 – over ten times the original cost of the building.
In 1986, the courthouse underwent a final renovation with a major goal of returning the traditional historic traits to the building. As part of this endeavor, renovators removed much of the work completed by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s, including the 1938 building addition as well as the red paint the WPA had covered the brick with. Renovation crews also replaced the building’s roof, renovated the copper-topped cupola, and reconstructed the first- and second-story window frames. In addition, they added modern features, including an elevator, and fire safety features such as fireproof doors. This final renovation was completed in 1991 at a total cost of $1.6 million and was celebrated by the community with a large open house [19].
2010 Fire
2010 Fire
When building the original 1881 courthouse, the architects at the time knew that the structure would inevitably catch fire at some point – the question was not if the courthouse would burn down, but rather when it might? That forsaken day would be on March 24th, 2010, when a worker with a repair crew unintentionally started a fire with a soldering iron being used to repair gutters. The fire burnt down the cupola and nearly everything inside of the courthouse. As the fire raged, many were devastated at the sight that lasted for hours [20]. Firefighters used a reported 1.5 million gallons of water to distinguish the flames over a period of several hours [21].
Newspaper clipping from 1881.
Courtesy of The Chatham Record.
Photo of the Chatham County Historic Courthouse fire being extinguished. Courtesy of the Chatham County Historical Association.
After the fire, it was up to the citizens of Chatham County to decide whether to rebuild the Courthouse or tear it down. Some even considered selling the land to someone who would use it for something recreational. To consider the opinions of all citizens, the Chatham County Commissioners set up focus groups throughout the county where people could share their ideas.
At the time of the fire, the U.S. Representative for North Carolina’s 4th District, David Price, was quoted as saying: “For the people of Chatham County, the Courthouse is both a historic structure and an emblem of the very heart and soul of the community… it creates a lasting impression on folks who are just passing through as well” [22].
Overwhelmingly, people supported the idea of the Courthouse being rebuilt and becoming a museum for Chatham County. Thanks to intense efforts of members of the Chatham County Historical Association and other volunteers, many old documents, public records, books, maps, photographs, and artifacts were able to be salvaged from the fire; these were all resources that would be utilized in the new museum [23].
Photo of Barbara Pugh, former president of the CCHA checking on drying rates of salvaged documents after the courthouse fire. Courtesy of Harry Lynch of The News & Observer.
Following the fire, Hobbs Architects was commissioned to evaluate what remained of the courthouse and the difficulties for reconstruction. Fortunately “engineering reports confirmed the masonry walls remained structurally sound, “ allowing for a smoother reconstruction, according to county Public Works Director David Hughes” [25]. The redesign and restoration of the courthouse included a new interior steel frame in place of the wood, a fire sprinkler system, restoration of public areas, and a court communication system, among other improvements.
Following the fire, H.M. Kern Corporation of Greensboro was awarded “a 4.1 million dollar contract by the Chatham County Commissioners after the project was publicly bid,”. H.M Kern received the Pinnacle Award from the Association of General Contractors Pinnacle Award [26] for their work on the project.
For the reconstruction and restoration of the Chatham County Courthouse Hobbs Architects received the AIA Tower Award and Chatham County received the Gertrude S. Carraway Award.
2013 Reconstruction
2013 Reconstruction
Following the fire, reconstruction efforts included “restoring the courtroom, adding a history museum space, and designing administration areas.” According to Hobbs Architects, the result is “a completely modernized building that embodies the character and spirit of the original construction” [27]. The current Chatham County Historic Courthouse is an eco-sustainable piece of architecture [28]. While it features many classical elements, it also utilizes natural light and passive solar heat due to how it was built with large doors facing North, East, South, and West, as well as two fireplaces that are located in the courtroom. The windows themselves were designed to let light into the building and let the wind flow through if needed.
Photo of Chatham County Historic Courthouse courtroom.
Courtesy of Mykalah Pettitt.
When you first step through the front doors of the Historic Courthouse, there is a seal on the floor that states “Chatham County, North Carolina.” While many believe this North Carolina seal was part of the original 19th-century courthouse, the floor of the original courthouse was completely blank. This element was later added to the renovated building by Hobbs Architects because they did not want the floor to appear blank, like an empty canvas, and therefore opted to add the seal for extra appeal.
The main courtroom possesses several interesting features. One fascinating detail about this room is that some of the wood used for the desks behind the bar is actually made from wood that came from early Chatham County [29]. This type of wood is yellow pine, and can no longer be found naturally since all the current pinewood that is grown here is engineered to grow faster. [30].
History of Justice
Throughout its extensive history, Chatham County has used five separate courthouses, all of which were used by the community to settle disputes and determine justice via the legal system. The number of civil and criminal cases tried in these buildings, including the Historic Courthouse, is too many to count. The cases where justice was served do not live on in our memory very long; those that do tend to be humorous, or particularly meaningful for those involved. At an event titled “Memorable Courthouse Stories From Those That Worked There” held following the 2010 fire, former attorneys, sheriffs, and others involved in the Chatham County legal system joined together to share their memories from the building. Longtime Attorney Jack Moody shared the story of one of his father’s earliest cases, in which a man was sentenced to death for murder. Fortunately, his life was spared when an error was discovered in the trial. When the man was retried he was sentenced to prison, but was eventually able to emerge from prison on parole and even offered employment as the custodian of the courthouse [31].
Conversely, the cases where justice was not fairly carried out, or did not even make it to a court, far more commonly live on in our memory. Our society has deemed that a courthouse is meant to be a place for justice to be provided to the people in a civil and fair matter; however, in its past, the Chatham County Historic Courthouse has also unfortunately been related to acts of injustice and cruelty. One such case is that of the 1883 lynchings that occurred in Pittboro. In the past, it was not uncommon for lynchings of African Americans to happen at courthouses because these structures tended to be in the center of the town. Although there is no record that people were ever lynched at the Chatham County Historic Courthouse itself, there is information available on how four African Americans being held in the nearby county jail were lynched before they could be tried.
Racism was prevalent during the post-Civil War period, and even normalized to the point that many were lynched solely due to the color of their skin. In this time of American history, these cases of prejudice against African Americans could be seen all over America. One source even states that “4,084 lynchings of black people… occurred in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Lousiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia between 1877 and 1950” [33].
Confederate Monument
Confederate Monument
Photo of Confederate monument in from of the Chatham County Historic Courthouse.
Courtesy of Hobbs Architects.
Racial tensions would continue to surround the Chatham County Historic Courthouse. Fast forward to 2019, when news coverage of the controversial Confederate monument in front of the courthouse became prominent. The statue was erected in August of 1907 and was sponsored by the Winnie Davis Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy under the leadership of Mrs. Henry A. London [34]. Many Americans felt that the Civil War was a momentous event that was necessary to preserve as part of our nation's history via monuments; however, these monuments began to pop up during this specific period due to a clear political agenda. Confederate monuments “tended to be erected at times when the South was fighting to resist political rights for black citizens” [35]. Therefore, most monuments were erected during the period of Jim Crow, rather than directly after the Civil War.
Thousands of monuments were built throughout the nation with the support of Southerners, and even some Northerners. The more tension between “Whites” and “Colored” folk, the more monuments popped up. Even during the time of its erection, there was both support and opposition for the monument at the Chatham County Courthouse. A native of Chatham County remembered the “largest crowd she had ever seen gather at the courthouse” was for the statue dedication, and children fondly used to try to land bottle caps on the cap of the soldier [36]. For those that opposed the monument, there is a story of someone putting shoe polish on the face of it that was not removed until later on [37].
In 2019, in the courtroom of the Historic Courthouse, the Chatham County Board of Commissioners voted 4-1 in favor of removing the Confederate monument; it was officially removed on April 15th, 2019, and taken to an undisclosed location in the county [38]. The “Chatham County Board of Commissioners voted to rescind this license, and the statue was removed as part of the trend toward removal of Confederate monuments and memorials in the 2010s,” causing many to protest the decision [39]. These protests spread all around the small town of Pittsboro; the groups were so large that they nearly covered the entirety of the road that leads towards George Moses Horton Middle School.
The monument removal was considered controversial due to the complex history behind Confederate monuments across the Southern United States. One side of the controversy considers the monuments to be “heritage”, with some protesters quoted as saying: "Like a thief in the night, under cover of darkness, the Chatham County Confederate Soldiers Memorial has been illegally removed…"[40]. The other side of the argument believes that monuments of this sort tend to be more harmful than prideful, particularly for African Americans.
Photo of the removal of the Chatham County Confederate Monument.
Courtesy of WRAL.
Legacy
Legacy
The Chatham County Historic Courthouse is a building that commands all who enter Pittsboro; it is a structure that is impossible for both natives and visitors alike to miss, due to its central location on Hillsboro Street at the intersection of busy highways 64 and 15-501. It became listed on the National Register of Historic places in 1979, further cementing its legacy as a significant historic location for not only Chatham County, but the nation as a whole [41].
This building possesses a lengthy history of both triumphs and tragedies. Despite catching fire in 2010, the community used the catastrophe as an opportunity for unity, and pulled together to restore the beautiful building. Despite some horrors of white supremacy surrounding the location, the courthouse has recently served as a place of protest for Black Lives Matter in the name of racial justice. The legacy of the Chatham County Historic Courthouse continues into the present day, with the goal of keeping the history of Chatham County alive while continuing to build off of the historic events currently happening. In recent years, the Historic Courthouse has become a place to learn about the history of Chatham County as a whole. We encourage visitors and locals alike to visit the museum, open Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM, and on the first Sunday of every month from 12:00 PM to 4:30 PM.
Sources Cited
Sources Cited
Wade Hadley, Doris Goerch Horton, and Nell Craig Strowd, Chatham County: 1771-1971 (Lillington, NC: Edwards Brothers, Inc., 1971), 7.
Hadley, Horton, and Strowd, Chatham County: 1771-1971, 9.
Mary Ann Lee and Joe Mobley (n.d.). "Courthouses in North Carolina: Chatham County Courthouse." National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory. North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office. https://files.nc.gov/ncdcr/nr/CH0006.pdf.
"Storm blew away the roof of Chatham Courthouse," The Chatham Record, August 5, 1976. https://www.newspapers.com/image/662413245.
Chatham Historical Museum. “Chatham County's First Courthouse and Jail.” Facebook. January 16, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/ChathamCountyHistoricalMuseum/posts/
5223442654356644."Storm blew away the roof of Chatham Courthouse."
Rachel Osborn and Ruth Selden-Sturgill, The Architectural Heritage of Chatham County, North Carolina (Charlotte, NC: The Delmar Company, 1991), 78.
Wade Hadley, "The Chatham County Court House" The Chatham Historical Journal 4, no. 2. June 1991.
"Storm blew away the roof of Chatham Courthouse."
"Burning Bricks," The Chatham Record, August 25, 1881. https://www.newspapers.com/image/635922620.
"NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES REGISTRATION FORM: Pittsboro Historic District." https://chathamhistory.org/resources/Documents/PDFs/Preservation/National
RegisterofHistoricPlacesRegisterFormforPittsboroHistoricDistrict.pdfMary Ann Lee and Joe Mobley (n.d.), "Courthouses in North Carolina: Chatham County Courthouse," National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory.
"Our Historic Courthouses," The State Magazine, February 1996.
The Chatham Record. July 20, 1882.
Mary Ann Lee and Joe Mobley (n.d.), "Courthouses in North Carolina: Chatham County Courthouse," National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory.
Bill Willcox, "County residents gather to share stories, memories of the courthouse," The Chatham News and Record, November 8, 2010.
Marti Dreyer, "Chatham County Courthouse Open House," 1991.
W.B. Morgan, "Courthouse Costing $10,000 is Remodeled for $102,000," Greensboro Daily News, February 7, 1960.
William Sasser, "Chatham Courthouse Completed: Details of the refurbished building scheduled for today," The Chapel Hill Herald, October 20, 1991.
Julian Sereno, "Catastrophe at the Courthouse," The Chatham County Line, April 29, 2010.
Anna Johnson, "Chatham Historic Courthouse Reopens," The Herald-Sun, April 21, 2013.
"Congressional resolution honors courthouse," The Chatham News and Record, April 29, 2010.
Sereno, "Catastrophe at the Courthouse."
“Chatham County Historic Courthouse Reconstruction,” Hobbs Architects. https://www.hobbsarchitects.com/projects/chatham-county-historic-courthouse-reconstruction
Matthew Burns, "Contractor Selected To Rebuild Historic Chatham County Courthouse,” WRAL, October 4, 2011. https://www.wral.com/chatham-picks-firm-to-rebuild-
courthouse/10219210/."Courthouse reconstruction wins AGC Pinnacle award for a contractor," The Chatham News and Record, February 27, 2014.
“Chatham County Historic Courthouse Reconstruction,” Hobbs Architects.
Ava Barlow, “Architectural Styles in North Carolina Courthouses,” NC Courts. Accessed April 4, 2022. https://www.nccourts.gov/assets/documents/publications/Brief-History-Architecture-
NC-Courthouses.pdf?XMxou7Lols3FqbC5XrzqG.LpWZocCQZR.Cindy Schmidt, interviewed by Nayeli Martinez and Jordan Taylor, Siler City, February 25, 2022.
Ibid.
Bill Willcox, "County residents gather to share stories, memories of the courthouse," The Chatham News and Record, November 8, 2010.
"The Chatham County Lynchings,” A Red Record, 2022. https://lynching.web.unc.edu/
the-people/the-Chatham-county-lynchings/.“Lynching in America: Confronting the Legacy of Racial Terror,” Equal Justice Initiative, 3rd Ed, 2017.
Osborn and Selden-Sturgill, The Architectural Heritage of Chatham County, 78.
W. Fitzhugh Brundage, "I've Studied The History Of Confederate Memorials. Here's What To Do About Them," Vox, August 18, 2017. https://www.vox.com/the-big-idea/2017/8/18/
16165160/confederate-monuments-history-Charlottesville-white-supremacy."Our Historic Courthouses," The State Magazine.
“OUR CONFEDERATE HEROES: A TIMELINE OF THE MONUMENT,” Chatham News + Record, November 20, 2019. https://www.chathamnewsrecord.com/stories/our-confederate-
heroes-a-timeline,3982.Derrick Bryson Taylor, “Confederate Statue in North Carolina Comes Down After 112 Years,” The New York Times, November 20, 20219. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/20/us/pittsboro-
confederate-statue.htmlMichael Perchick and Anthony Wilson, “Confederate Statue Outside Chatham County Courthouse Removed,” ABC 11 Raleigh-Durham WTVD-TV, November 20, 2019. https://abc11.com/confederate-statue-pittsboro-chatham-county/5708314/
Carrie Hodgin. “Pittsboro's Confederate Statue Removed From Outside Courthouse,” WFMY News 2, November 19, 2019. https://www.wfmynews2.com/article/news/local/pittsboro-
confederate-statue-removal-Chatham-county-NC/83-2528bddc-9bef-4f32-9a0b-9d22ab7d4b62"NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES REGISTRATION FORM: Pittsboro Historic District."
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