Davie County Courthouse
Why it's listed
Built in 1909 in Mocksville, the two-story courthouse is constructed of reinforced concrete with tan brick and stands on the southeast corner of Court Square. It replaced an 1839 courthouse that had been used by the county since the county was formed in 1836 from New Hanover. The new courthouse and jail were built by the Fall City Construction Company of Louisville, Kentucky, at a cost of about $40,000. A fire in 1916 partly destroyed the building, and repairs and renovation cost about $29,000. The main facade has a tetrastyle Corinthian portico sheltering the center recess, a matching portico at the rear, and two-bay projecting wings at the corners. A clock cupola rests on a brick base above the portico. The building is an example of Neo-Classical Revival courthouse design, which was the dominant style for North Carolina courthouses for more than thirty years. It was reviewed as part of a thematic group of North Carolina courthouses.
Significance in brief: The document places the courthouse within the Neo-Classical Revival style, which it describes as the dominant genre of courthouse design in North Carolina over more than thirty years. Its tetrastyle Corinthian portico and clock cupola are cited as its principal architectural features. The nomination was submitted as part of a thematic group of North Carolina courthouses.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 79001702, listed May 10, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Courthouse Sq., Mocksville |
|---|---|
| County | Davie County |
| Listed | May 10, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79001702 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Fall City Construction Company of Louisville, Kentucky (builder) |
| Architectural style | Neo-Classical Revival |
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The interior was drastically renovated in 1971 and none of the original fabric remains; new windows and glass and metal doors have been installed, and a contemporary addition adjoins the south side. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Downtown Mocksville Historic District |
| Coordinates | 35.89377, -80.56123 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 79001702.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18350716
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.