Greene County Courthouse

Throughout the history of Greene County, North Carolina, the courthouse burned twice. Because of this, many valuable records were lost. The mission of this site is to piece together a history of the people of Greene County by using the records that remain. 

The first instance took place on March 2, 1876. An article from the Carolina Messenger, published in Goldsboro, NC on Monday, March 6, 1876, states:

"Our Snow Hill correspondent informs us that on last Thursday morning, the 2nd inst., at 3 o'clock, the Court House in that town was discovered to be in flames, and in less than two hours it was a smouldering ruin. 

Every Record in the office of the Register of Deeds was destroyed, as was also every article in the Sheriff's office. More than half of the Records and documents in the office of the Superior Court Clerk were also consumed by the fire. In a very few minutes after the alarm was given, the citizens were on the ground battling manfully to save what was found not entirely beyond hope. 

The jail caught fire twice, but by well applied efforts the flames were subdued, and the Court House is the only building whose loss is to record. 

The fire was evidently the work of incendiaries. It seems the fiends fired the passage, the court room and the Register's office simultaneously. It is to be hoped that they may be brought to speedy justice. 

It is thought that the County Commisioners will probably select the commodious hall over Mr. John Murphrey's store, as the place for holding the next term of Greene Court, which will be on the 13th. instant. 

About a year since the county jail was destroyed by fire and that building has just been rebuild [sic] at a heavy expense tot he tax payers of the county, and now thay must be saddled with the expense of building another Court House. It is too bad, these hard times. Our Greene County friends have our sympathy in their misfortune."

The second instance occurred in 1935. 

Greene County Courthouse (1877-1935)