Pitt County Courthouse in Greenville, North Carolina

Nov 6, 2015 Fri0Confederate Statues

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:

Pitt County Courthouse is a historic courthouse building located at Greenville, Pitt County, North Carolina. It was designed and built in 1910 by the noted architectural firm of Milburn & Heister, and is a three-story, rectangular, Classical Revival style tan brick building. The front facade features a tetrastyle Ionic order portico, a hipped roof, and dominating three-stage cupola.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. It is located in the Greenville Commercial Historic District.






County Information


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

Pitt County was established in 1760 after a legislative act to annex Beaufort County. Named after William Pitt, a British statesman who supported the colonist's cause for freedom, the county was formed because of the need for a regional courthouse and prison. John Hardy and several other justices were ordered to construct these municipal buildings. Martinsborough, the original county seat, was founded in 1771, taking its name from Josiah Martin, one of the last royal governors of North Carolina. In 1787, Martinsborough was changed to Greenville, the current county seat.

The original natives of this Coastal Plain region were the Tuscarora. Once European settlers began to inhabit the area, tensions escalated and the Tuscarora War started in 1711. John Barnwell, a South Carolina Colonel, was ordered along with several hundred troops to rid the area of the Tuscarora, and in April 1712 Barnwell accepted the Indian surrender at Catechna, the central city of the Tuscarora that lies north of Grifton. After the battle at Catechna the beaten Tuscarora ultimately left the region and Indian hostility subsided.

Pitt County is home to an academic institution, several historic sites, and cultural establishments. East Carolina University, established as a teacher's training school in 1907, has a strong link with Pitt County's economic and cultural atmosphere. Several structures on the East Carolina campus and the Pitt County Courthouse (1910-11) add to Pitt County's historic relevance. Some cultural attractions of the county include the Greenville Museum of Art, Ayden's Art and Recreation Center, the Nature Science Center, and the Dance Arts Theatre. Lastly, Greenville and the surrounding townships hosts several yearly festivals such as the Farmville Dogwood Festival, the Winterville Watermelon Festival, and the Ayden Collard Festival.

In addition to the county seat of Greenville, Pitt County holds several other communities as well: Bethel, Black Jack, Calico, Ayden, Simpson, Grifton, and Toddy. Also, Pitt County has some natural hallmarks as well including Clayroot Swamp, Grindle Creek, Pinelog Branch, Pea Branch, and Lake Kristi.






Our Experience


This county has a claim to fame in that George Washington visited in 1791. Our real fun began as we were leaving and came across some metal artwork. I love this stuff. I don't have the talent to appreciate art but I love this kind of metal sculpture. The first time I saw something like this was in Moab, Utah a few years ago. It is fascinating to look at the individual parts and how the artist puts them together to make something that is instantly recognizable.

I would love to have one of these out by Laurie's garden pond. This guy is Jonathan Bowling and you can view his website here.

Nov 6, 2015 Fri 10:55:45 AM EST Altitude: 86 ft Camera: iPhone 5sDisplay on Google Map
Pitt County Courthouse in Greenville, North Carolina
Nov 6, 2015 Fri 10:57:09 AM EST Altitude: 86 ft Camera: iPhone 5sDisplay on Google Map
Pitt County Courthouse in Greenville, North Carolina
Nov 6, 2015 Fri 10:59:58 AM EST Altitude: 86 ft Camera: iPhone 6sDisplay on Google Map
Pitt County Courthouse in Greenville, North Carolina
Nov 6, 2015 Fri 10:51:10 AM EST Altitude: 82 ft Camera: iPhone 6sDisplay on Google Map
Pitt County Courthouse in Greenville, North Carolina
Nov 6, 2015 Fri 10:53:40 AM EST Altitude: 84 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Pitt County Courthouse in Greenville, North Carolina
Nov 6, 2015 Fri 10:55:27 AM EST Altitude: 86 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Pitt County Courthouse in Greenville, North Carolina
Nov 6, 2015 Fri 11:03:02 AM EST Altitude: 86 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Pitt County Courthouse in Greenville, North Carolina
Nov 6, 2015 Fri 10:55:41 AM EST Altitude: 86 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Pitt County Courthouse in Greenville, North Carolina
Nov 6, 2015 Fri 10:54:09 AM EST Altitude: 84 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Pitt County Courthouse in Greenville, North Carolina
Nov 6, 2015 Fri 10:54:20 AM EST Altitude: 84 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Pitt County Courthouse in Greenville, North Carolinay
Nov 6, 2015 Fri 10:54:32 AM EST Altitude: 84 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Pitt County Courthouse in Greenville, North Carolina
Nov 6, 2015 Fri 10:54:41 AM EST Altitude: 84 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Pitt County Courthouse in Greenville, North Carolina
Nov 6, 2015 Fri 10:57:07 AM EST Altitude: 86 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Pitt County Courthouse in Greenville, North Carolina
Nov 6, 2015 Fri 10:55:15 AM EST Altitude: 84 ft Camera: iPhone 5sDisplay on Google Map
Pitt County Courthouse in Greenville, North Carolina
Nov 6, 2015 Fri 11:00:50 AM EST Altitude: 86 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Pitt County Courthouse in Greenville, North Carolina
Nov 6, 2015 Fri 11:02:09 AM EST Altitude: 86 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Pitt County Courthouse in Greenville, North Carolina
Laurie
Nov 6, 2015 Fri 11:01:39 AM EST Altitude: 86 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Pitt County Courthouse in Greenville, North Carolina
Nov 6, 2015 Fri 11:12:40 AM EST Altitude: 49 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Pitt County Courthouse in Greenville, North Carolina
Nov 6, 2015 Fri 11:13:13 AM EST Altitude: 49 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Pitt County Courthouse in Greenville, North Carolina
Nov 6, 2015 Fri 11:13:31 AM EST Altitude: 49 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Pitt County Courthouse in Greenville, North Carolina
Laurie
Nov 6, 2015 Fri 11:14:32 AM EST Altitude: 49 ft Camera: iPhone 5sDisplay on Google Map
Pitt County Courthouse in Greenville, North Carolina
Nov 6, 2015 Fri 11:15:22 AM EST Altitude: 52 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Pitt County Courthouse in Greenville, North Carolina
Nov 6, 2015 Fri 11:23:35 AM EST Altitude: 68 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Pitt County Courthouse in Greenville, North Carolina
Laurie
Nov 6, 2015 Fri 11:25:07 AM EST Altitude: 68 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Pitt County Courthouse in Greenville, North Carolina
Nov 6, 2015 Fri 11:25:36 AM EST Altitude: 68 ft Camera: X100SDisplay on Google Map
Pitt County Courthouse in Greenville, North Carolina



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Johnston County Courthouse in Smithfield, North Carolina




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