Jones County Courthouse in Trenton, North Carolina

Dec 16, 2015 Wed0

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


I could not find information about this courthouse.




County Information


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

A coastal county established from Craven County in 1779, Jones County was named in honor of Willie Jones. An aristocrat from Halifax, Willie Jones (pronounced Wiley) was a prominent Anti-Federalist in North Carolina during the ratification debate in the state. Jones was influential in the political opposition of the federal constitution, and he had much to with North Carolina's delay in entering the federal Union.

Trenton, originally referred to as Trent Bridge, became the seat of government of Jones County in 1784. The Trent River flows through Jones County, and both the river and county seat are named after the Trent River in England. Other communities in Jones include Pollacksville, Pleasant Hill, and Maysville.

Various forests and bodies of water dot the Jones County landscape. The Great Dover Swamp encompasses much of the northern section of the county while White Oak Pocosin is located in the southern part of Jones. Hoffman Forest, the nation's largest laboratory forest, encompasses over 78,000 acres in both Jones and Onslow County.

The Tuscarora originally inhabited present Jones County, but German and Swiss settlers came to Jones at the beginning of the 1700s. The Tuscarora War and Cary's Rebellion engulfed the early residents of the county. Once both conflicts had ended, the economy of Jones County began to grow, especially its agricultural industry. An agricultural center for the early North Carolina colony, Jones thrived due to the Trent River that served as both a trade passageway and water source for area farmers.

Before the Civil War, Jones County had a cash crop economy. By the 1860s, the county had one of the wealthiest plantation economies in the United States, but the Civil War ended the success of area plantations. Many farms and plantations were destroyed during the war, and farmers in Jones County entered into tenant farming. Today, farmers and foresters continue the agricultural heritage of the county, with tobacco and lumber as the principal products from Jones County.

Furnifold M. Simmons (1854-1930) was a famous native of Jones County, serving in both the U.S. Congress and Senate in the late 1880s and early 1900s. Simmons dominated the Senate for thirty years, managing the Simmons Machine and chairing the Senate Finance Committee during World War I. Senator Simmons had much to do with the creation of both Fort Bragg and the Intracoastal Waterway.

An important historic home in Jones County remains the Shine Home that was constructed around 1815. In 1819, both President James Monroe and the Secretary of War, John Calhoun, spent the night at the Shine House. Several other historic sites in Jones County include the John Franck House, the Foscue Plantation House, and the Lavender-Barrus House.

James Madison and John Calhoun were not the only famous politicians to spend time in Jones County. President George Washington toured the American states more than any other president before the twentieth century, and in 1791, Washington embarked on a tour throughout the South. After leaving a gala in New Bern, President Washington and his party made their way to Trenton and arrived on April 22, 1791. The first president stayed at Shrine tavern while he was in Jones County.






Our Experience


What appears to be the old jail is now being used for "Detention Center Administration" by the Sheriff. There was plenty of yard space in front for monuments and displays but the adjacent metal cell phone/radio tower made it hard to get a decent photo.

I found another coal chute.

Dec 16, 2015 Wed 11:06:07 AM EST Altitude: 40 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Jones County Courthouse in Trenton, North Carolina
Dec 16, 2015 Wed 11:16:50 AM EST Altitude: 37 ft Camera: iPhone 6sDisplay on Google Map
Jones County Courthouse in Trenton, North Carolina
Laurie
Dec 16, 2015 Wed 11:06:45 AM EST Altitude: 40 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Jones County Courthouse in Trenton, North Carolina
Dec 16, 2015 Wed 11:07:49 AM EST Altitude: 40 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Jones County Courthouse in Trenton, North Carolina
Dec 16, 2015 Wed 11:08:35 AM EST Altitude: 40 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Jones County Courthouse in Trenton, North Carolina
Dec 16, 2015 Wed 11:09:09 AM EST Altitude: 38 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Jones County Courthouse in Trenton, North Carolina
Dec 16, 2015 Wed 11:10:01 AM EST Altitude: 38 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Jones County Courthouse in Trenton, North Carolina
Dec 16, 2015 Wed 11:10:46 AM EST Altitude: 38 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Jones County Courthouse in Trenton, North Carolina
Dec 16, 2015 Wed 11:14:20 AM EST Altitude: 37 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Jones County Courthouse in Trenton, North Carolina
Dec 16, 2015 Wed 11:15:24 AM EST Altitude: 37 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Jones County Courthouse in Trenton, North Carolina



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New Hanover County Courthouse in Wilmington, North Carolina




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