Oldest Courthouse in the United States in Continuous Use
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archway
N 37° 41.249 W 077° 00.791
18S E 322491 N 4173048
King William County Courthouse has been in continuous use since 1725. Sessions are held on a regular basis to maintain its use status.
Waymark Code: WM7X18
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 12/15/2009
Views: 3
"King William County Courthouse was built about 1725. The one-room, T-shaped, hipped-roof structure likely replaced the original wooden frame courthouse structure. The historic building is not only the county's oldest public building, but is purportedly the oldest public building in use in Virginia and the oldest courthouse of English foundation in continuous use in the United States. The Circuit Court of King William County sits in the historic courthouse.
"The courthouse was constructed of brick laid in Flemish bond. It is one of only three surviving Virginia courthouses - the others being Charles City County and Hanover County - with an arcade or a piazza imitating the first colonial capital in Williamsburg. The building is considered one of the finest examples of early colonial brickwork and courthouse design. The Virginia Department of Historic Resources, which maintains the Virginia Landmarks Register, considers the courthouse to be the best preserved of Virginia's eleven colonial era court buildings.
"In 1840 the courthouse was enlarged and a brick wall was erected to enclose the court green and to keep livestock and poultry away from the buildings. It is one of the few remaining enclosed court greens in Virginia. A jail was constructed in 1890 on the site of the 1800s-era Clerk's Office that was destroyed by fire in 1885. A new Clerk's Office was established in the former jail in 1908. The Confederate monument was dedicated on the court green in 1904. The interior of the courthouse was extensively renovated about 1926 and again in 1983-84, the latter an effort to restore the building to more of its original 18th century appearance."
Source: King William County website (http://www.kingwilliamcounty.us/history_tourism.htm)
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The Virginia highway marker on-site reads as follows:
"The King William County courthouse, erected early in the second quarter of the 18th century, is one of the older courthouses still in use in the United States. This T-shaped building was constructed of brick laid in Flemish bond, with an arcade imitating the first capital in Williamsburg. One of the best preserved of Virginia's colonial courthouse buildings, it features fine Georgian brickwork. About 1840 the courthouse was enlarged with a unique stile and a brick wall was erected to enclose the court green. Its rural historic setting is a rare survival"
FIRST - Classification Variable: Place or Location
Date of FIRST: 04/01/1725
More Information - Web URL: [Web Link]
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