The Concessions and Agreements of 1665, issued by the Lords Proprietors, was a foundational document for the Province of Carolina (specifically the Albemarle region) to attract settlers. It provided a framework for governance, allowing religious freedom, establishing a unicameral legislature, and creating courts.
North Carolina’s first known judicial proceedings are held in 1665 at Hall’s Creek in Albemarle County (present-day Gates County), likely in a private home. There were no designated courthouse buildings at that time, only places where the colonial court could meet. This was a session of the General Court of Albemarle.
On February 6, 1665, the first North Carolina General Assembly (then the Assembly of Albemarle County) met near the banks of the Little River and Halls Creek.
North Carolina’s first courthouse is built in Edenton, which was settled in 1658 and incorporated in 1712. Edenton is counted as the first permanent European settlement in North Carolina. Its first courthouse, built in 1719, was also the seat of the colonial assembly.
After its creation in 1664, Albemarle County establishes a formal legal seat when it opens its first courthouse on April 22, 1723 in the town of Currituck. Robert Payton was the builder of first wood-framed courthouse in the area. Albemarle County was split in 1739 and Currituck County was created.
The first Beaufort County (precinct) courthouse building was built in Bath after years of meeting at the home of the sheriff, Thomas Bonner.
While the first Carteret County courthouse was built in 1724, Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions (a hybrid court/administrative body with justices of the peace handling civil matters, minor criminal matters, local government functions) were being held as a part of the Carteret Precinct which was established in 1722.
New Hanover County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions met in Wilmington for years prior to building the courthouse. The first courthouse site is understood to have been near the original public square / early town center, close to what later became the intersection of Front and Market Streets.
Pasquotank County’s first courthouse was built in 1739 when Broomfield was selected as the first county seat.
Chowan County Courthouse, built in Edenton, is the oldest surviving county courthouse in NC and is a National Historic Landmark.
In September 1770, Regulators disrupted the Hillsborough Superior Court, assaulted officials, and damaged the home of Edmund Fanning
The Alamance Regulators Trials are the first major political trials in NC history. After the Battle of Alamance, Governor Tryon arrested Regulators and had them tried for treason. Public hangings followed. These trials are seen as precursors to the American Revolution in North Carolina.
Citizens adopt resolutions condemning British taxation and supporting colonial unity. These resolves helped spread revolutionary ideology in eastern North Carolina and signaled organized resistance beyond Boston and Philadelphia.
Patriots create local governing bodies to enforce boycotts, raise militias, and replace royal authority. These committees laid the foundation for revolutionary self-government.
North Carolina joins the intercolonial movement against British rule, committing to collective resistance rather than isolated protest.
Fifty-one women publicly pledge to boycott British tea and goods. Their action drew international attention and showed that women played a visible role in political resistance.
The Guilford County Courthouse associated with the Battle of Guilford Courthouse (1781) was built in 1775.
On May 20, 1775, Mecklenburg County, N.C. became the first political entity to declare themselves free and independent
These verified resolutions dissolved royal authority and established Patriot control, providing a legal justification for rebellion and local self-rule.
Patriots burn Fort Johnston to prevent its use by British forces. This marked one of the colony’s first violent acts against royal authority.
Delegates organize a revolutionary government, authorized military preparations, and formally challenged the royal governor’s authority.
Patriot militia forces defeated a Loyalist army composed largely of Scottish Highlanders attempting to join British regulars near Wilmington. Patriots removed planks and greased the bridge, then ambushed the Loyalists as they crossed
North Carolina became the first colony to instruct its Continental Congress delegates to vote for independence. Adopted unanimously on April 12, 1776, by North Carolina’s 4th Provincial Congress in Halifax, the Halifax Resolves were the first official action by any colony calling for independence from Great Britain.
The Declaration of Independence, formally The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America in the original printing, is the founding document of the United States
On August 1, 1776, Cornelius Harnett read what would become known as the Declaration of Independence to a crowd in Halifax. It was the first public reading of the document in North Carolina.
The 1776 North Carolina Constitution established a judicial system characterized by legislative supremacy, where the General Assembly appointed all judges and state officials.
After the North Carolina Constitution and Declaration of Rights were adopted in December 1776 (by the Fifth Provincial Congress), the new General Assembly meets for the first time April 7, 1777 in New Bern.
The Gourd Patch Conspiracy, sometimes called the Llewellyn, Lewelling, or Lewellen Conspiracy, was a failed uprising against North Carolina’s Patriot government in the summer of 1777
Six judicial districts (with two more added in 1782 and 1787) were created November 15, 1777 — with court held twice a year in Wilmington, New Bern, Edenton, Hillsboro, Halifax, and Salisbury.
Decided in 1778, State v. Sparrow is the earliest recorded opinion of the Supreme Court of North Carolina after its creation in 1777
Courts Act of 1777 creates the Supreme Court of North Carolina. The first justices appointed and serving when the Court issued its earliest opinions in 1778 were: Samuel Ashe (1734–1813), James Iredell, Sr. (1751–1799), and Alfred Moore (1755–1810).
One of the first armed conflicts in the South, Patriot militia defeated Loyalists. The battle weakened Loyalist organization in the western Piedmont and escalated the conflict into open warfare.
Patriot frontiersmen destroy a Loyalist force, marking a turning point in the Southern Campaign.
North Carolina militia fights to slow British forces crossing the Catawba River. Though a British success, the action delays Cornwallis and cost him valuable time and manpower.
British victory comes at devastating cost as heavy losses force Cornwallis to retreat toward Virginia, directly leading to the Battle of Yorktown.
Continued pressure forces British forces toward the coast and eventual defeat.
British forces abandon their final major stronghold in North Carolina, effectively ending British military presence in the state.
James Iredell, Sr. (1790 – 1799) nominated by George Washington as one of the original justices of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Acting on a bill introduced by William Gaston of New Bern, the General Assembly in November 1818 created the separate supreme court contemplated by the Constitution of 1776, which empowered the legislature to appoint “Judges of the Supreme Courts of Law and Equity” and “Judges of Admiralty.”
Granville County Courthouse is an example of early Greek Revival courthouse construction.
When the North Carolina Supreme Court was established in 1819, John Louis Taylor became its first chief justice, a post that he would hold until his death in 1829
President John Adams appoints Alfred Moore appointed to U.S. Supreme Court
Perquimans County Courthouse in Hertford is noted as an early major masonry courthouse and the only surviving Federal-style building.
Leonard Henderson was an American jurist who served as chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court from 1829 to 1833, and an associate judge of that court beforehand. Justices elected Henderson their Chief in 1829 after the death of Chief Justice Taylor
Thomas Ruffin (1787–1870) was an American jurist and justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court from 1829 to 1852 and again from 1858 to 1859. He was chief justice of that Court from 1833 to 1852.
One of the only surviving Federal-style courthouses in the state, Gates County Courthouse was built in Gatesville in 1836.
In “State v. Manuel,” the N.C. Supreme Court makes a major citizenship decision deciding that a free Black person was a citizen of North Carolina (notwithstanding severe limits and the era’s racial caste system).
The Old Brunswick County Courthouse in North Carolina, recognized for its historic value, is often associated with the 19th-century Greek Revival style (circa 1844), reflecting a “temple of justice” design typical of that era
Frederick Nash (February 9, 1781 – December 5, 1858) was an American lawyer and jurist from Hillsborough, North Carolina. He served on the North Carolina Supreme Court and was its chief justice from 1852 until his death.
The historic Hyde County Courthouse, specifically the 1854 building in Swan Quarter, North Carolina, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was heavily damaged by flooding, suffering extensive water damage to records and equipment