Historic Old Randolph County Courthouse

Historic Randolph County Courthouse is a grand attraction on the square in Pocahontas. Built in 1872 of early Victorian-Italianate architecture, it still tempts the eye today with its beauty and grandeur. The Historic Courthouse was first used on April 7, 1875 as county officials moved into the new building (they couldn’t move in until they paid the contractor for the construction costs from 1872). Since 1940 it has served in various municipal capacities and today this beautiful building sits in the downtown square, and is home to the Randolph County Chamber of Commerce.

A historical marker on the old courthouse grounds remembers an earlier courthouse on the same spot. The 1836 courthouse was not well-built, and was in a state of disrepair by the end of the American Civil War. It was demolished shortly after the war, but the county couldn’t afford to replace it for several years. Even when they built a new courthouse, in 1872, the post-war county was too poor to occupy it until 1875.