Northampton County Courthouse Square
Why it's listed
Northampton County's government center in Jackson is a grassy, tree-shaded square holding two antebellum buildings of unusual quality. The courthouse, built in 1858, is a brick temple-form Greek Revival building with a tetrastyle portico of fluted Ionic columns. Tradition credits Henry King Burgwyn as its designer, though no construction records survive. A 1939 public works renovation added a two-story rear wing and enlarged the courtroom. Beside it stands the 1831 Clerk's and Register's Office, built by Captain Abraham Spencer of Oxford for $1,400. Its Flemish bond brick, stepped parapet gables and coved plaster cornice are rare in the state. Commissioned after the 1831 Raleigh statehouse fire, it was among the earliest fireproof county records buildings in North Carolina. A small 1900 office building and later agriculture and health buildings complete the square, which remains in county use, with the old office now serving as the county museum.
Significance in brief: The 1858 courthouse is one of the few surviving full-blown Greek Revival temple-form public buildings in the state. The 1831 Clerk's and Register's Office, built by Captain Abraham Spencer, has stepped gables, coved plaster cornices and Flemish bond brickwork that are rare in North Carolina. Northampton County was among the first, if not the first, in the state to build a fireproof records building after the 1831 Raleigh statehouse fire.
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 77001006, listed April 11, 1977. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Jefferson St. between Atherton and Brown Sts., Jackson |
|---|---|
| County | Northampton County |
| Listed | April 11, 1977 |
| Reference number | 77001006 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1831, 1858 |
| Architect / builder | Abraham Spencer / H. K. Burgwyn (?) |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Both main buildings are occupied and described as well preserved; the 1831 office now serves solely as the Northampton County Museum, and the courthouse remains in county government use. |
| Acreage | 2.5 |
| Within district | Jackson Historic District |
| Coordinates | 36.39015, -77.41942 (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 77001006.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19817698
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.