Randolph County Courthouse #7 - Asheboro, NC
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 35° 42.378 W 079° 48.785
17S E 607371 N 3952022
This is the old courthouse, number seven in a line of 9.
Waymark Code: WMJBHH
Location: North Carolina, United States
Date Posted: 10/25/2013
Views: 10
County of Marker: Randolph County
Location of Marker: 145 Worth St., courthouse lawn, Asheboro
Architect: Wheeler, Runge and Dickey
Date Marker Erected: Dec. 4, 2008
Marker Erected by: Asheboro City Council, Randolph County Board of Commissioners, & Historic Landmark Preservation Commission
Marker Text:
Randolph County was formed in 1779, and its government met at the lost town of Johnstonville in New Market Township from 1786 to 1792. After county residents petitioned for a more convenient location “in the most central part” of the county, the state legislature relocated “Randolph Court House” to the new site of “Asheborough.” The first session of court in “Asheborough” was held on the “Publick Ground” at the intersection of Main and Salisbury Streets on June 12, 1793.
After arrival of the railroad in 1889, the business center of Asheboro began to migrate away from the old “Publick Ground.” In 1907, the county commissioners purchased proven plans from the Charlotte firm of Wheeler, Runge and Dickey, which were nearly identical to their popular 1899 Iredell County Courthouse plans. In April 1908, citizens of Asheboro purchased Col. A.C. McAlister’s barnyard and windmill water pump as a site for the new building. Construction began on July 8, 1908, and the first term of court was held in the building on July 19, 1909. The 1909 Courthouse is the seventh building to serve as the Randolph County Courthouse, the fourth to be built in Asheboro, and the first one built on Worth Street.
The Courthouse combines flamboyant Victorian massing with the motifs of American Beaux-Arts classicism. The two-story main block is topped by a powerful Second Empire cupola covered by a ribbed copper dome. Corinthian columns with terra cotta capitals support an elaborate pediment with pressed-tin decoration. Arched windows to the east and west define the courtroom on the second floor level; the windows of thes southern façade feature elaborate molded lintels in a variety of shapes and sizes. Construction used one million red brick from Glenola, NC; 700,000 yellow brick from Ohio; and tons of white granite from Mt. Airy, NC. The final price tag of the building was $34,000.
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