{"nrhp_refnum":"69000335","name":"Charles City County Courthouse","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"VA 5","address_restricted":false,"city":"Charles City","county":"Charles City County","state":"VA","lat":37.34157675000006,"lon":-77.07230160599994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1969-11-12","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story, T-shaped brick county courthouse on the south side of Route 628 near its intersection with Route 5 in Charles City, Virginia, believed to have been built in the early 1730s.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is probably the most sophisticated surviving example of the small group of colonial courthouses with arcaded fronts. Its brickwork resembles that of nearby Westover, suggesting the same builder. The county seat has never been commercially developed, so the courthouse keeps its isolated crossroads setting.","narrative":"Charles City County Court House is a one-story, T-shaped brick building at a country crossroads on the road between Williamsburg and Richmond. The county seat moved to this site around 1730, and the present courthouse is believed to date from the early 1730s, though Civil War losses of the court records leave the exact date uncertain. Its Flemish bond brickwork, rubbed and gauged brick details, modillion cornice and steep hipped tin roof survive. The brickwork resembles that at nearby Westover, leading experts to credit the same builder. The building was rifled during the Civil War and heavily altered afterward: the five-bay front arcade was enclosed, most window openings were lowered, and a porch was added. Even so, it is considered probably the most sophisticated surviving example of the small group of colonial courthouses with arcaded fronts. The grounds also hold a Confederate monument, a late nineteenth century clerk's office and a circa 1867 frame jail. The county seat has never been commercially developed.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as in fair condition, occupied and in government use. It was altered extensively after the Civil War, and the form says the alterations could be reversed by careful restoration.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:57.795485-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/26/6800/41680026/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/69000335.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/69000335/ff7c5e7531-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/69000335/ff7c5e7531-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Unknown authorUnknown author","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Charles_City_County_Courthouse,_State_Route_5,_Charles_City_(Charles_City_County,_Virginia).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Unknown authorUnknown author</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Charles_City_County_Courthouse,_State_Route_5,_Charles_City_(Charles_City_County,_Virginia).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41680026","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_City_County_Courthouse","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14712153"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/charles-city-county/charles-city-county-courthouse-69000335/"}