Alamance County is named for the Battle of Alamance, which was derived from the local Native American word meaning “blue clay” as found in the Great Alamance Creek.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Caswell County
E – Orange County
S – Chatham County
W – Randolph County and Guilford County
Created: January 29, 1849 
County Seat:
Graham 1849 – present
County Courthouse – Graham
Location: Public Square – 1 South Main Street / Elm Street
Built: 1923 – 1924
Style: Neo-Classical Revival
Architect: Harry Barton of Greensboro
Contractor: Northeastern Construction Company of Charlotte
Description: The building faces north and is a three story stone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds of the Courthouse Circle the center of Graham. The north front has a large portico with four large columns with palmette capitals rising to a wide header with balustrade at the roof line. Columnar iron lamps which frame the entrances to the building. The recessed central entrance is framed with stone. A similar portico is on the south side. The building features terracotta stonework, dental tooth molding, and metal-masonry floors. The roof line is flat. In the interior, the first floor contains offices divided by wide cross halls which meet at an octagonal circulation space A marble medallion radiates from the center of the octagon, and the rest of the floor is laid in mosaic tile. At the ends of the halls are stairs with iron railings which lead to the second story courtroom. This chamber is characterized by fine wood trim in the classical style. Robust moldings, pedimented overdoors, cornices, and raised paneled doors and wainscots enrich the room which has a silk ceiling. The building is named as the Alamance County Historic Courthouse. The building houses the County Superior Court and County District Court of the 15th Judicial District. The building was renovated in 2011. The architect was Roughton Nickelson DeLuca and the contractor was H M Kern Corporation.
Note: The historic courthouse’s cornerstone was laid on November 17, 1923. William Arnold and James Lexie Moore, brothers of Sheriff Hallie Moore, dug the foundation for the Historic Courthouse in 1924 using mules and dragpans.
See: The architect, Harry Barton of Greensboro, designed courthouses in Cumberland County, Guilford County, Johnston County and Surry County.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Alamance County Courthouse
County Criminal Courthouse – Graham
Location: 212 West Elm Street / South Maple Street
Built: 1992 – 1993
Style: Modern
Architect: Moser Mayer Phoenix Associates of Greensboro
Contractor: L A Cox Company and P & H Services Inc.
Description: The building faces north and is a one story stone, red colored brick, concrete and glass structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Graham to the west of the courthouse. The north front has stone facing with high vertical windows on the west side and a curved projecting section on the east side with pillars on the first story and the main entrance. The roof line is flat. The building houses the County Superior Court – Criminal and County District Court – Criminal of the 15th Judicial District. The building is connected to the Administration Building on the south side, which was constructed in 1974.
County Courthouse Annex – Graham
Location: 126 West Elm Street / South Maple Street
Built: 1966 – 1967
Style: Modern
Architect: Alley, Williams, Carman & King
Contractor: J M Dixon, Inc.
Description: The building faces north and is a three story red-orange colored brick, concrete and glass structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Graham to the west of the courthouse. Known as the Courthouse Annex, the building was renovated in late 2009 and early 2010 and reopened in April 2010 as the Civil Courts Building. The west section is lower and has the entrance on the first story with glass above on the second story. The east section is three stories with narrow vertical windows on the north side. The roof line is flat. The building houses the County District Civil Court of the 15th Judicial District.
See: The 15th Judicial District includes Chatham County and Orange County.
History: The county was created in 1849 and Graham was selected as the county seat. The first court was held in Providence Meeting House in 1849. The first courthouse was a brick structure built in Graham in 1849 to 1852 at a cost of $6,400. The building was remodeled in 1882. An addition of two wings were constructed in 1888 and remodeled in 1889. The courthouse was demolished in 1923. The second and present courthouse was constructed in 1923 to 1924 at a cost of $253,926. The County Civil Court Courthouse was constructed in 1966 to 1967. The County Criminal Courthouse was constructed in 1992 to 1993.
County Courthouse – Graham
County Criminal Courthouse – Graham
County Courthouse Annex – Graham
Photos taken 2012
Images 15