Johnston County Courthouse in Smithfield, North Carolina

Nov 6, 2015 Fri0

Laurie and I like riding our Gold Wing motorcycle. But it is easy to get into a rut and just ride the same roads. So to force ourselves to ride to places we would not normally visit we made a goal to visit and photograph all 100 North Carolina courthouses within 1 year.

As usual, we got a little behind. We started in July 2015 and finished 99 out of 100 by June 2018. The last courthouse was in our home county of Wake and it took us until Feb 2021 to get that final one. But we made it! This blog is about one of those visits.

Many NC courthouses were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The nomination form has some interesting facts about the various courthouse styles over the years.

Courthouse Information

Wikipedia says the following about the courthouse:

Johnston County Courthouse is a historic courthouse building located at Smithfield, Johnston County, North Carolina. It was designed by noted architect Harry Barton and built in 1920-1921. It is a three-story, rectangular steel frame building with a cut stone veneer in the Classical Revival style. It features a four-column portico in antis, a tetrastyle pedimented portico, and a stone balustrade at the roofline. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

County Information

The North Carolina History Project lists the following information for this county:

In 1746, Johnston County was organized into a separate entity from parts of Craven County. Its namesake is attributed to Royal Governor Gabriel Johnston who presided over North Carolina from 1734 to 1752. Johnston County is situated in the Coastal Plain of North Carolina, with Wake and Harnett Counties to the west of the region and Wayne and Nash Counties to the east.
Johnston County's seat of government is located in Smithfield. Established in 1777, Smithfield was originally a trading locale on the Neuse River. Other communities and towns within the county include Selma, Benson, Princeton, Clayton, Kenly, Four Oaks, Micro Pine Level, and Wilson's Mill.
Agriculture is central to Johnston County's economy. It ranks first in North Carolina in regards to when agriculture composes a county's total income. With more farms than any other county, Johnston County mainly produces cotton, tobacco, sweet potatoes, corn, and soybeans. Also, Johnston County remains the leading county in flue-cured tobacco cultivation. Although the federal highway boosted manufacturing and industry after World War II, the county continues to remain an agricultural one.
Johnston County's principal historical commemoration is the Bentonville Battleground State Historic Site. The site preserves both the last major Civil War battlefield and the largest military battle to be fought within North Carolina. Other cultural destinations include the Tobacco Farm Life Museum, the Johnston County Heritage Center and the Ava Gardner Museum. Regarded as one of the most prominent female cinema icons of Hollywood, Ava Gardner was a Johnston County native and an annual film festival that celebrates her life is held in the area.

Nov 6, 2015 Fri 4:02:12 PM EST Altitude: 133 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Johnston County Courthouse in Smithfield, North Carolina
Laurie

Nov 6, 2015 Fri 4:03:34 PM EST Altitude: 133 ft Camera: iPhone 6sDisplay on Google Map
Johnston County Courthouse in Smithfield, North Carolina

Nov 6, 2015 Fri 4:05:27 PM EST Altitude: 133 ft Camera: iPhone 6sDisplay on Google Map
Johnston County Courthouse in Smithfield, North Carolina

Nov 6, 2015 Fri 4:06:08 PM EST Altitude: 134 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Johnston County Courthouse in Smithfield, North Carolina

Nov 6, 2015 Fri 4:06:16 PM EST Altitude: 134 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Johnston County Courthouse in Smithfield, North Carolina

Nov 6, 2015 Fri 4:06:40 PM EST Altitude: 134 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Johnston County Courthouse in Smithfield, North Carolina

Nov 6, 2015 Fri 4:06:57 PM EST Altitude: 134 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Johnston County Courthouse in Smithfield, North Carolina

Nov 6, 2015 Fri 4:07:35 PM EST Altitude: 134 ft Camera: iPhone 6sDisplay on Google Map
Johnston County Courthouse in Smithfield, North Carolina

Nov 6, 2015 Fri 4:08:52 PM EST Altitude: 134 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Johnston County Courthouse in Smithfield, North Carolina

Nov 6, 2015 Fri 4:09:51 PM EST Altitude: 134 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Johnston County Courthouse in Smithfield, North Carolina

Nov 6, 2015 Fri 4:10:13 PM EST Altitude: 134 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Johnston County Courthouse in Smithfield, North Carolina

Nov 6, 2015 Fri 4:10:26 PM EST Altitude: 134 ft Camera: iPhone 6sDisplay on Google Map
Johnston County Courthouse in Smithfield, North Carolina

Nov 6, 2015 Fri 4:11:19 PM EST Altitude: 133 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Johnston County Courthouse in Smithfield, North Carolina

Nov 6, 2015 Fri 4:12:14 PM EST Altitude: 133 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Johnston County Courthouse in Smithfield, North Carolina

Nov 6, 2015 Fri 4:12:46 PM EST Altitude: 133 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Johnston County Courthouse in Smithfield, North Carolina

Nov 6, 2015 Fri 4:13:54 PM EST Altitude: 133 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Johnston County Courthouse in Smithfield, North Carolina
Laurie

Nov 6, 2015 Fri 4:17:01 PM EST Altitude: 131 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Johnston County Courthouse in Smithfield, North Carolina
Laurie