Alamance County Historical Courthouse still anchors civil cases in Graham

The Alamance County Historical Courthouse still does real government work at 1 Court Square in Graham. Civil matters, except marriages, are heard there on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., while criminal cases are routed to the J.B. Allen, Jr. Criminal Courthouse, a split system that keeps the old courthouse at the center of daily county business rather than behind glass as a museum piece.

A working courthouse in the middle of Graham

The building sits on the corner that locals recognize immediately, at the intersection of Elm Street and Main Street, on a hexagonal plot in the heart of Graham’s commercial district. The North Carolina Judicial Branch notes nearby public parking around the courthouse and Court Square, along with free public lots within walking distance, so the site remains as accessible as it is symbolic.

That matters in a county of about 179,000 residents spread across fifteen communities. People come downtown for court business tied to lawsuits, estates, guardianship matters, and other civil filings, and the courthouse still functions as the public face of that process. The county court directory also places the Clerk of Superior Court, District Attorney, and Public Defender within the broader Alamance County court system and lists the criminal courthouse main number as (336) 570-5202, underscoring how the county now operates through two separate courthouse functions.

The building that shaped downtown Graham

The courthouse is also one of Graham’s strongest landmarks. The Alamance County Visitors Bureau describes it as a three-story terracotta, neo-classic revival building designed in 1924 by architect Harry Barton, and its scale fits the surrounding downtown blocks that grew up alongside it. The building’s placement in or beside the Graham Historic District gives it a double role: it is both an active institution and a defining piece of the town’s architectural streetscape.

National Register records place the courthouse’s significance in politics and government, architecture, and social history, with 1924 identified as the key year. That combination explains why the building still draws attention from more than preservation-minded visitors. It tells the story of how authority was organized in Alamance County, how public space was designed to project that authority, and how downtown Graham was built around it.

From the 1849 courthouse to the 1924 replacement

The present courthouse replaced the original brick courthouse built in 1849, a structure that served the county from 1849 to 1851 before later alterations in the 1880s. The older courthouse was razed to make room for the current building, and that transition marked more than a change in style. It reflected a broader shift in county administration, from a compact courthouse that also housed the sheriff’s office and other local functions to a more specialized court system with separate criminal and civil facilities.

Construction on the current building began in 1923, and the courthouse opened to the public on November 23, 1924. Historical accounts place its cost at $253,925.82, a substantial investment for a county seat building of that era. Judge W. A. Devin dedicated the new courthouse on the same day it opened, giving the building a formal civic role from the start.

Local accounts also preserve the names of William Arnold and James Lexie Moore, who helped dig the foundation. Those details matter because the courthouse was not only designed in the abstract by Harry Barton; it was built by people whose labor still sits inside the county’s public memory.

Memory, monument, and public power

The courthouse grounds carry a layered history that reaches beyond court calendars. A Confederate monument dedicated on May 16, 1914 by the local United Daughters of the Confederacy chapter remains part of the site, making Court Square a place where law, memory, and contested public symbols coexist. That monument, the historic building, and the steady flow of civil filings together explain why the courthouse is still a live civic stage rather than a static landmark.

For residents who only pass through downtown Graham on the way to an appointment, the scene is easy to read: the courthouse, the square, the parking nearby, the courthouse traffic, and the surrounding commercial buildings that share its era. For people dealing with court business, the details are less abstract. This is where public authority is exercised, where records are kept moving, and where county government still meets the public in person.

Preservation with policy teeth

Alamance County does not treat the courthouse as a relic. Its Historic Properties Commission says landmark properties are expected to maintain a high standard of historic or architectural significance, and county guidelines say eligible landmark owners may receive a 50% property tax deferral if the historic character is retained. That creates a direct policy link between preservation and public stewardship, not just sentiment.

The courthouse’s continued use strengthens that framework. Because it still handles civil matters, remains part of the active court system, and sits within a protected historic landscape, the building illustrates how county government can preserve a landmark by keeping it functional. In Graham, the historic courthouse is not preserved because it is empty; it is preserved because it still matters.