Northampton County Courthouse Historical District

Northampton County Courthouse Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Eastville Courthouse Buildings
Location:	E. by Rt.13 & extending from Rt. 13 .1 mi. west, & extendingfrom the intersection of Rt. 631 .1 mi north & .1 mi. south, Eastville, Virginia
Coordinates:	37°21′10″N 75°56′48″W / 37.35278°N 75.94667°W / 37.35278; -75.94667Coordinates: 37°21′10″N 75°56′48″W / 37.35278°N 75.94667°W / 37.35278; -75.94667
Area:	9 acres (3.6 ha)
Architect:	Marshall,John; Satchell,William
Architectural style:	Romanesque, Federal
Governing body:	Preservation Virginia
NRHP Reference#:	72001410 [1]
Added to NRHP:	April 13, 1972

The Northampton County Courthouse Historical District is a nine-acre historic district in Northampton County, Virginia, in the United States. The district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Three buildings are located on the property: A courthouse and a clerk's office (dating to 1731), and a prison (dating to 1814).^[2] The buildings house documents dating back to 1632.^[2]

History

The courthouse was constructed by John Marshall in 1731 at the cost of 50,000 pounds of tobacco. Built in the Flemish bond style, the brick building measured approximately 35 feet by 23 feet.^[3] The Clerk's Office was built adjacent to the courthouse. It features diagonally-battened door fastens and am unusual assortment of variously sized paving stones.^[3]

The building remained in use through 1795, when another courthouse was constructed nearby. It was then turned into a family house for a rent of $1 per year, on the condition that the new lessee would fund a new roof for the building.^[3]

Preservation

The court house remained in the possession of the original lessee and his descendants until it was purchased by the county in 1913 for $4,000.^[3] Preservation Virginia had the building moved to its current location, near the Clerk's Office. The Office and the nearby Jail, both of which had fallen into disrepair, were turned over to Preservation Virginia for restoration and preservation.^[3] All three buildings underwent extensive repair in the 1950s.^[3] The Clerk's Office currently holds a museum of Native American artifacts, while the Debtor's Prison holds a collection of 19th-century tools.

References

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Eastville Court Buildings". Preservation Virginia. http://www.apva.org/EastvilleCourthouseBuildings/. Retrieved 8 July 2011. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Latimer, Frances. "Eastville Courthouse". Northampton County. http://www.co.northampton.va.us/gov/oldcourthouse.html. Retrieved 8 July 2011.