List of the oldest courthouses in the United States
Courthouse Location Built Notes
Former Queen Anne County Courthouse Maryland 1708 Built in 1708 , it is likely the oldest courthouse still standing in the United States . Today the property is open as a museum
Old Chester Courthouse Pennsylvania 1724 This is the oldest public building in continuous use in the United States . It is a handsome structure and a well preserved and valuable example of a colonial period stone courthouse . From 1724 until 1786 , it served as the courthouse for Chester County , Pennsylvania and , after a county division , the courthouse for Delaware County , Pennsylvania until the county seat was relocated in 1851 . Thereafter is served as the town hall for the City of Chester , Pennsylvania until the 1960s . Today it is used for miscellaneous city , county and civic functions . Colonists assembled here for the Havana raid during the War of Jenkins ' Ear . The courthouse was a scene of the reading of the Declaration of Independence following its announcement in Philadelphia and the court 's bell , which is still in its cupola , rang to announce independence . Several prominent legal and political figures argued at the court , including Thomas McKean , signer of the American Declaration of Independence . Gilbert du Motier , marquis de La Fayette was hosted and honored here . It was the site of the tragedy story of the trial and hanging of Elizabeth ( Harriot ) Wilson and the resulting story of the Pennsylvania Hermit , William ( Amos ) Wilson
Old Essex County Courthouse Virginia 1729 Converted and expanded into a church in the 19th century
New Castle County Court House Delaware 1730 This building was built over the remains of Delaware 's first courthouse ( 1689 ) that was burnt by an arsonist and of which the foundation is still visible . It served as the county courthouse until 1881 when the county seat was moved to Wilmington , Delaware . The building was the center of the twelve mile circle that forms part of the boundary between Delaware and Pennsylvania . It was originally the colonial and state capitol in addition to a courthouse , and it was here that the Assembly voted to separate from England and drafted the first Delaware Constitution . It is now part of the First State National Historical Park
Old Northampton County Courthouse Virginia 1731 The first judges held court on the lower Eastern Shore of Virginia starting in 1632 by meeting in private homes , ordinaries and taverns . In 1677 the court was moved to an area called The Hornes , later to be called Peachburg Town , and then Eastville . The site has served as the seat of Northampton County government since that time . Circa 1731 , the old Northampton County Courthouse , laid in Flemish bond brickwork , was preceded by at least two wooden structures . The 1731 courthouse became too small and use was discontinued in 1795 . It was leased as a store with the condition that the structure be re-roofed and maintained . In 1913 the County bought back the lease and prepared to demolish the structure . A campaign by local residents to save the structure began and the building was moved 30 feet to its current location and preserved for visitors today . The site also holds the old Clerk 's Office ( c. 1725 - 1750 ) , old Debtor 's Prison ( ca . 1814 ) , a former courthouse ( 1899 ) , a former jail ( 1914 ) , and Lawyer 's Row . One of the most complete historic court greens in the United States the Eastville Court Green is listed as a Historic District on both the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places . A museum curated by the Northampton Historic Preservation Society is housed in the former 1899 courthouse
Cahokia Courthouse Illinois ca . 1740 This structure was erected as a private residence circa 1740 when the area was French territory . In 1793 , the residence was purchased by the federal government to function as the court for the United States Northwest Territory . It also hosted territorial government activities . It is Illinois 's oldest courthouse and the only surviving territorial court . The courthouse is architecturally significant as an example of the French Colonial vertical log poteaux-sur-solle ( post-on-sill ) construction technique
Old Middlesex County Courthouse Virginia 1745 Located in Urbanna , Virginia . Now serves as the Middlesex County Woman 's Club
Plymouth Courthouse Massachusetts 1749 Built of wood , it served as a courthouse until 1820 . It also served local municipal uses from 1749 until the 1950s . It was opened as a museum in 1970
Old Isle of Wight Courthouse Virginia 1750s Located in Smithfield , Virginia
Old Lincoln County Courthouse Maine 1761 Judges and lawyers who served or appeared here include Robert Treat Paine , Benedict Arnold , William Cushing , and James Sullivan . Today it is a museum
Old Gloucester County Courthouse Virginia 1766
Perth Amboy City Hall New Jersey 1767 This building is now the oldest City Hall in continuous use in the United States . It originally held court functions as well as city administration functions
Williamsburg-James City County Courthouse Virginia 1771
Olde Colonial Courthouse , Barnstable Massachusetts c.1763 Wooden structure , construction initiated in 1763 . About 1,500 citizens assembled here in 1774 to protest the British Intolerable Acts , which revoked the colony 's rights of self-government . Their actions effectively ended British control of Cape Cod . Replaced as county courthouse in 1834 and converted to a church in 1842 . Now maintained by Tales of Cape Cod
Old Grafton County Courthouse New Hampshire 1774 Built in 1774 , this building was the site of Daniel Webster 's first criminal case in 1805 and served as a courthouse until 1823 . It thereafter served as a public library for many years and is now maintained as a museum
Old West Liberty Courthouse West Virginia 1778-79
Bedford Courthouse New York 1787 Today this is open as a museum
Hardy County Courthouse West Virginia 1792 Built in 1792 , it served as a courthouse until 1860 and is now a luxury apartment building
Hunterdon County Courthouse New Jersey 1793 Struck by fire likely caused by arson in 1828 , it was heavily rebuilt using and incorporating the original walls . The courthouse was the scene of the trial of Bruno Hauptmann , the man convicted in the Lindbergh kidnapping case in what became coined as The Crime of the Century and The Trial of the Century in popular media and folklore at the time . Today it is open for tours including regular re-enactments of the Hauptmann trial and for ceremonial purposes
Old Carteret County Courthouse North Carolina 1796 This is the oldest surviving wooden courthouse in North Carolina . Today it serves as a museum and hosts an interactive dramatization program that allows school children to conduct mock trials and reenactments for famous trials for educational purposes
Former courthouses
The following other old courthouses still standing today exist as museums , for other government functions , or are now privately owned facilities .
Below is a list of the oldest extant courthouses in the United States.