Nash County Courthouse in Nashville, North Carolina

Aug 24, 2016 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


Wikipedia says the following about the courthouse:

Nash County Courthouse is a historic courthouse located at Nashville, Nash County, North Carolina. It was built in 1921, and is a two-story, rectangular, brick building in the Colonial Revival style. It has a "T"-shaped in plan, with the temple-form main block flanked by small brick wings. The interior was remodeled in 1974.

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






County Information


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

A county located on the border between the coastal and piedmont sections of the state, Nash County has long been heralded as a leading agricultural county in the state of North Carolina. The county is ranked 8th in the state, for most of the land is solely used for farming. Farmers in the area produce cucumbers, tobacco, corn, sweet potatoes, soybeans, cotton, and livestock. An important textile mill, the Rocky Mount Mill, was located in Nash County, and it was the second of its kind in North Carolina. In regards to Nash County's manufacturing industry, businesses in the region produce goods such as apparel, pharmaceuticals, diesel engines, and electronic fuel control systems.

General Francis Nash (1742-1777) was born in Hillsborough and his name is attached to both the county and the seat of government. During the Revolutionary War, General Nash, serving under George Washington at the Battle of Germantown, died in combat. The state of North Carolina formed the county shortly after Nash's death in 1777 and decided to name the new area after the heroic general. In the late eighteenth century, migrants started to settle Nashville, the county seat, and in 1815, the town was incorporated into the county.

Besides Nashville, Nash County holds several other communities and important natural rivers and creeks. Sharpsburg, Rocky Mount, and Whitakers are three townships that Nash shares with bordering counties. Additionally, Bailey, Stanhope, Momeyer, Spring Hope, and Castalia are other communities within Nash County. The Tar River, the Moccasin, Swift, and Deer Branch Creeks, and White Oak Swamp are some tributaries and bodies of water within the region.

Nash County is the host home to a university, several historical and cultural sites, and it hosts annual events and festivals. The China American Tobacco Company Factory started production in the early twentieth century, and the first Hardee's Restaurant opened in Nash in 1960. That same year, North Carolina Wesleyan College, a Methodist liberal arts university started accepting students into the first student body. The Outdoor Art Show, the Spring Hope Pumpkin Festival, the Nashville Blooming Festival, and the Freedom Celebration are important events held in Nash each year. Other important cultural establishments include the Tank Theatre, the Country Doctor Museum, the Playhouse Community Theatre, and the Nash County Historical Association.

Some important natives and residents of Nash County include Harold D. Cooley and Jim Thorpe. Jim Thorpe (1886-1953) was one of the greatest Indian athletes of all time, and he started his baseball career with the Rocky Mount Railroaders in 1909 in Nash County. Harold D. Cooley (1897-1974), a native of Nashville, chaired the Agriculture Committee (click here for an article on the New Deal in NC) during President Roosevelt's tenure. In reference to the Marshall Plan, he was quoted: "Bread and butter rather than bullets and bayonets are the most powerful weapons in our arsenal."

In 1836, P.T. Barnum visited Nash County, and it became the first recorded place of his famous circus. However, the "World's Greatest Showman" did not impress residents with his circus, but with a sermon. On November 13, 1836, after a Sunday service at the Baptist Church in Rocky Mount, Barnum spoke to a group of three hundred on the "duties and privileges of man."






Our Experience


This was our last courthouse for the day. We had stopped at a Bojangles early in the day in Nashville for biscuits. Laurie had struck up a conversation with two elderly couples and the assured us we would enjoy this courthouse. We save it for the last one of the day.

Aug 24, 2016 Wed 4:54:57 PM EDT Altitude: 188 ft Camera: X100TDisplay on Google Map
Nash County Courthouse in Nashville, North Carolina
Aug 24, 2016 Wed 4:55:44 PM EDT Altitude: 190 ft Camera: X100TDisplay on Google Map
Nash County Courthouse in Nashville, North Carolina
Aug 24, 2016 Wed 4:57:20 PM EDT Altitude: 190 ft Camera: X100TDisplay on Google Map
Nash County Courthouse in Nashville, North Carolina
Aug 24, 2016 Wed 4:57:30 PM EDT Altitude: 190 ft Camera: X100TDisplay on Google Map
Nash County Courthouse in Nashville, North Carolina
Aug 24, 2016 Wed 4:57:38 PM EDT Altitude: 190 ft Camera: X100TDisplay on Google Map
Nash County Courthouse in Nashville, North Carolina
Aug 24, 2016 Wed 4:57:49 PM EDT Altitude: 190 ft Camera: X100TDisplay on Google Map
Nash County Courthouse in Nashville, North Carolina
Aug 24, 2016 Wed 4:58:27 PM EDT Altitude: 191 ft Camera: X100TDisplay on Google Map
Nash County Courthouse in Nashville, North Carolina
Aug 24, 2016 Wed 4:58:36 PM EDT Altitude: 191 ft Camera: X100TDisplay on Google Map
Nash County Courthouse in Nashville, North Carolina
Aug 24, 2016 Wed 4:58:41 PM EDT Altitude: 191 ft Camera: X100TDisplay on Google Map
Nash County Courthouse in Nashville, North Carolina
Aug 24, 2016 Wed 4:58:48 PM EDT Altitude: 191 ft Camera: X100TDisplay on Google Map
Nash County Courthouse in Nashville, North Carolina
Aug 24, 2016 Wed 4:58:54 PM EDT Altitude: 191 ft Camera: X100TDisplay on Google Map
Nash County Courthouse in Nashville, North Carolina
Aug 24, 2016 Wed 4:59:30 PM EDT Altitude: 191 ft Camera: X100TDisplay on Google Map
Nash County Courthouse in Nashville, North Carolina
Aug 24, 2016 Wed 4:59:46 PM EDT Altitude: 191 ft Camera: X100TDisplay on Google Map
Nash County Courthouse in Nashville, North Carolina
Aug 24, 2016 Wed 4:59:57 PM EDT Altitude: 191 ft Camera: X100TDisplay on Google Map
Nash County Courthouse in Nashville, North Carolina
Aug 24, 2016 Wed 5:01:12 PM EDT Altitude: 191 ft Camera: X100TDisplay on Google Map
Nash County Courthouse in Nashville, North Carolina
Aug 24, 2016 Wed 5:01:17 PM EDT Altitude: 191 ft Camera: X100TDisplay on Google Map
Nash County Courthouse in Nashville, North Carolina
Aug 24, 2016 Wed 5:01:22 PM EDT Altitude: 191 ft Camera: X100TDisplay on Google Map
Nash County Courthouse in Nashville, North Carolina
Aug 24, 2016 Wed 5:01:27 PM EDT Altitude: 191 ft Camera: X100TDisplay on Google Map
Nash County Courthouse in Nashville, North Carolina
Aug 24, 2016 Wed 5:01:32 PM EDT Altitude: 191 ft Camera: X100TDisplay on Google Map
Nash County Courthouse in Nashville, North Carolina
Aug 24, 2016 Wed 5:01:40 PM EDT Altitude: 191 ft Camera: X100TDisplay on Google Map
Nash County Courthouse in Nashville, North Carolina
Aug 24, 2016 Wed 5:01:46 PM EDT Altitude: 191 ft Camera: X100TDisplay on Google Map
Nash County Courthouse in Nashville, North Carolina
Aug 24, 2016 Wed 5:01:53 PM EDT Altitude: 191 ft Camera: X100TDisplay on Google Map
Nash County Courthouse in Nashville, North Carolina
Aug 24, 2016 Wed 5:01:58 PM EDT Altitude: 191 ft Camera: X100TDisplay on Google Map
Nash County Courthouse in Nashville, North Carolina
Aug 24, 2016 Wed 5:02:21 PM EDT Altitude: 191 ft Camera: X100TDisplay on Google Map
Nash County Courthouse in Nashville, North Carolina
Aug 24, 2016 Wed 5:03:25 PM EDT Altitude: 193 ft Camera: X100TDisplay on Google Map
Nash County Courthouse in Nashville, North Carolina



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