Richmond County takes its name from Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond--a staunch advocate for…read morethe American colonists during the Revolutionary era. Lennox was notable for his vocal opposition to British military presence in the colonies and his support for colonial self-governance. The county itself was formally established in 1779, and by 1780, Rockingham had been designated as the first county seat, anchoring the region's civic identity in a time of profound transformation. The current Richmond County Judicial Center presents a distinctly modern architectural profile, blending red brick, glass, and concrete in a clean, contemporary composition. Its most visually commanding feature is the northeast corner entrance, where vertical glass panels soar uninterrupted to the fourth story, creating a dramatic sense of openness and institutional transparency. Along the east elevation, a series of projecting sections add depth and rhythm to the façade, while the flat roofline is crisply defined by two horizontal belt courses that lend a subtle visual punctuation to the building's silhouette. These design choices reflect a deliberate shift toward clarity and accessibility in civic architecture. Inside, the Judicial Center serves as the home of the County Superior Court and County District Court for North Carolina's 16th Judicial District, which encompasses Richmond, Anson, Robeson, and Scotland counties. Its construction marked a pivotal moment in the county's legal infrastructure, replacing the historic courthouse across the street with a facility designed to meet contemporary needs while honoring the region's legal and architectural heritage. The transition from classical revival to modernist design underscores Richmond County's commitment to progress, even as it continues to respect and preserve its historical foundations. [Review 1332 of 2025 - 4451 in North Carolina - 24884 overall]

As historical markers go, this one is pretty typical. As you can see, it is a gray sign with black…read morelettering. While it won't blow your socks off, it isn't ugly either. In fact, it looks similar to all other historical markers in North Carolina. If you're ever in Richmond County and in the mood to see a genuine state historical marker, I recommend that you consider this one. It certainly met all of my expectations for what a historical marker could and should be.

Located in front of the Richmond County Court House, this marker points out a local hero of the…read moreRevolutionary War. The marker reads, "Henry William Harrington. Brigadier general of militia, 1776-81, State senator, a commissioner to locate State capital. Grave is five miles south." This is another instance where there is some distance from the site being pointed out to here where the marker is located. There is more information online. "Henry William Harrington, Revolutionary War political and military leader, was born in London in 1747. He immigrated to Jamaica in the 1770s, but left after a short time for South Carolina, where he settled along the Pee Dee River. At the outbreak of war in 1775, Harrington accepted a captaincy in the South Carolina militia. The following year he married Rosanna Auld, the daughter of a prominent Anson County militia officer. The couple moved to North Carolina, settling in part of Anson that became Richmond County in 1779." "Harrington was elected colonel of the Richmond County militia in November following their arrival and briefly commanded a militia regiment in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1780 before returning to serve in the General Assembly. In the summer of 1780 he was called upon to accept a temporary position as the brigadier general in command of the Salisbury District militia while Griffith Rutherford was serving in the Camden expedition." "After the conflict [a British raiding party attacked his home in January 1781] Harrington represented Richmond County in 1783 and again in 1785. In 1784 he was appointed a trustee of Salisbury Academy, and five years later became a trustee of the University of North Carolina, a post he held for six years. He also served as one of the commissioners that approved of placing the state capitol at Raleigh. In the latter 1790s Harrington retired to his plantation. He died on March 31, 1809, and is buried in the family cemetery overlooking the Pee Dee River." [Review 15474 overall, 978 of 2021, number 3017 in North Carolina.]

This marker is located in front of the Richmond County Court House here in Rockingham and points…read moreout a sign that is six miles away. That seems to be the usual, but if it was there then no one would see it. So here it is. The marker reads, "Alfred Dockery. 1797-1875. United States Congressman; state legislator for 10 years. A founder of the state Republican party, 1867. Home is 6 miles northwest." Online, there is more information. "Alfred Dockery, Congressman and legislator, was born in 1797 into a large family living in Richmond County. Unable to attend school regularly because of his responsibilities on the family farm, Dockery planned to become a farmer but became involved in politics at the age of twenty-five when he served in the House of Commons from his home county. Always interested in continuing to work his farm, Dockery returned to farming whenever not involved in political office." "As a Whig, Dockery pushed for internal improvements and general reforms statewide although he focused his efforts on promoting western interests. He was also a proponent of public education, supporting a public schools bill while serving in the state senate. Among his major contributions was his involvement in the establishment of Wake Forest Institute and his service on the first board of trustees of Wake Forest College. In 1845, he was elected to Congress for one term, after which he refused to be re-elected to the same post, seeking, instead, to return to his farm." "Dockery was elected to serve in Congress from 1851-53. He was a Unionist at a time when pro-Union sympathies were unpopular in most parts of North Carolina. However, once war was declared, Dockery quietly supported the war, sending two of his sons to fight for the Confederacy. After the war, he served in the postwar government of North Carolina and was a member of the 1865 failed state convention to end Reconstruction. A founding member of the state's Republican Party, Dockery did not live to see the end of Reconstruction and died at home in 1873. [The marker is incorrect.]" [Review 15503 overall, 1007 of 2021, number 3045 in North Carolina.]

This marker is located in front of the Richmond County Court House here in Rockingham and points…read moreout a sign that is six miles away. That seems to be the usual, but if it was there then no one would see it. So here it is. The marker reads, "Cameron Morrison, 1869-1953. Governor, 1921-1925; State legislator; United States Senator & Congressman; mayor of Rockingham. Birthplace was 6 miles south." Online, there is more information. "The fifty-year public career of Cameron Morrison, governor and United States Senator and Representative, illustrates the duality of North Carolina's reputation during the coinciding Progressive and Jim Crow eras. On the one hand, Morrison was long celebrated for internal improvements which earned North Carolina a reputation as the most progressive Southern state in the 1920s and earned him the nickname of the "Good Roads Governor." On the other hand, Morrison was also a participant in, and career beneficiary of, the state's brutal white supremacist campaigns of the turn of the century which marked the backwardness of racial relations in the region and in much of the country as a whole." "Born in 1869, Morrison was the son of a Confederate veteran who had joined the Republican Party after the war. He attended school in his native Richmond County. He did not attend college but in 1892 studied law with Judge Robert Dick of Greensboro. That same year he passed the bar and returned to Rockingham to practice." "Morrison devoted himself to internal improvements, endorsing practically all of the goals of the Good Roads movement. By generating widespread grassroots support, Morrison prompted the 1921 legislature to fund construction of 5,500 miles of hard-surface roads. Swift action and fiscal daring shocked Morrison's conservative backers, who warned that the plan would bankrupt the state. Morrison also persuaded the legislature to fund improvements for higher education and the state's charitable institutions. Despite his earlier history, Morrison sought to improve race relations, but did so within a context that took the continuation of white supremacy for granted. His most notable achievement in this area was his successful use of force to all but suppress lynching in the state." "Morrison died in Quebec on August 20, 1953, and is buried in Charlotte's Elmwood Cemetery." https://www.yelp.com/biz/elmwood-cemetery-charlotte?hrid=ziKrTvynz2DXqDXAVkNp8w [Review 15509 overall, 1013 of 2021, number 3051 in North Carolina.]

The single most difficult and uncooperative county government I've ever worked with! The Estates…read moreDivision will not answer your legitimate questions BEFORE you file an estate and is constantly looking for the smallest incidental reason to reject a filing once you present it. They require very specific language in a filing that is not required by other North Carolina Clerks. So you will make a filing, it will be rejected for knit-picking reasons by one employee, you will address all of THAT person's concerns, then it will be rejected by another employee for different knit-picking reasons. Mind you, I've been filing estates for 20 years so I know how to open an estate. According to someone who works on a daily basis with the Cumberland Clerk's office, NOTHING ever goes right with this place. Mostly due to their eccentric lack of helpfulness and their obscure make-it-up-as-you-go "requirements." They also have the weirdest phone system: ALL calls are directed to the phone of a single woman who rarely answers her phone and "forgets" to relay your messages to the staff. If she transfers you to the phone of one of the deputy clerks, they NEVER return your calls. So you have to call several times to break through the wall. IF at all. I guess there is not enough going on in Fayetteville so they entertain themselves by rejecting filings and tripling your time the expenses incurred in filing a document. Hostile and passive aggressive. They forget they are affecting the very real lives of the grieving and making the experience worse.

This Courthouse put me in prison for 10 months and 2 weeks, when I wasn't supposed to be there, now…read moreit's an apology after I done the time. The Judge, The District Attorney and my Attorney Susan Hall messed up, now they are taking their time about making g up for their wrongs.

The "Old" Moore County Courthouse stands in the center of the traffic island at the core of…read moredowntown Carthage. It is the third to serve as the county courthouse, a three-story structure of Indiana limestone and concrete in a Renaissance Revival architecture. It was completed in 1923, designed by architect Christopher Gadsden Sayre. It does not have columns instead is a symmetrical building with somewhat limited ornamentation. Sayre's works are known for proportion and integration of classical motifs into public architecture, such as the Wiley Elementary School in Raleigh and the former John Graham High School in Warrenton. The courtroom is on the second floor and I was not able to tour it this afternoon. Moore County itself was established in 1784, carved from Cumberland County and named for Alfred Moore, a Revolutionary War veteran and U.S. Supreme Court justice. The much more contemporary design of the current courthouse is concrete and glass and just to the south, completed in 2023. [Review 739 of 2025 - 4171 in North Carolina - 24299 overall]

The town of Cheraw is a true gem for anyone interested in antebellum southern houses. The town grew…read moreup in the 18th century as a prosperous trading center. By 1780, it was one of only 7 town's in South Carolina shown on maps. It continued to grow and a district of beautiful large houses was built before the Civil War. The story goes that when Sherman came through, he was so charmed by the town's beauty that he decided not to allow looting and ordered the town not to be burnt down, as he had done with nearby Chesterfield. According to the story posted at the Lyceum Museum (on Market, get the key at the Chamber of Commerce), the truth is that having heard what happened to Chesterfield, the town fathers greeted the advancing Union forces with a flag of truce and the town's surrender. In any case, Sherman based his headquarters in a lovely home on McIver Street for most of March. The town has a great walking tour of the historic central district. The Chamber of Commerce office has a map that includes addresses and information on more than 40 significant homes and buildings. Many of the houses have signs with a phone number to call for an audio guide to the building. Mary's Restaurant on lower Market Street is a great place to enjoy a meal before or after you walk the tour. Mary's been serving good family cooking in town for 39 years - the last 33 years at the current site! Open from 6am till 2pm everyday but Sunday. And a visit to Cheraw isn't complete without going down to the Great Pee Dee river. There is a nice park on river just past the St. johns Church off Front Street. Founded in the 1760s as the last colonial parish, the church held services until 1916. Many generations of locals are buried in its graveyard. Keys to visit inside the church are also available at the Chamber of Commerce office.

I read about this place in my AAA book, and it really is a worthwhile side trip to see streets…read morelined with beautiful antebellum houses surrounded by shady trees and manicured landscaping. Even better, the town has posted signs with a number on them in front of numerous homes. Dial the number on your cell phone, and get a recorded story that is quite interesting. If you are a history buff, this place is a must. Old time Main Street, and lovely river park add to its charm.

Located on the grounds of the old Union County Courthouse, this 40 foot tall granite obelisk is a…read morememorial to the Confederate soldiers from Union County. Atop the three-tier granite foundation rests the base of the obelisk. The tall shaft is topped with a polished sphere. All four sides of the base are inscribed. The east face of the base features a Confederate flag, while the east and west faces depict crossed rifles and crossed cavalry sabers, respectively. The monument was installed in 1910 by the Monroe Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. There has been some discussion about removing it and at this time, it is surrounded by chain link fence to prevent damage or vandalism. I suspect that it will be removed at some point soon so stop by while you still can. [Review 15439 overall, 943 of 2021, number 2986 in North Carolina.]

What an amazing process. It's a civic duty to keep Democratic ideals in place for a judgment by a…read morepanel of your peers. It was a criminal case and I really enjoyed listening to the attorneys and the judge who thanked everyone for their time. The building is huge and ornate as well. Who knew they had a Cafe on the 1st floor? Lunch was pretty good: fried chicken well seasoned with that lovely brown "you know it was cooked all the way" color, collard greens and macaroni and cheese. Worth going in person to see how things work. All in All it was a good day.

I was at the courthouse for Jury duty. I spent the entire 8 hours reading a book and listening to…read moremusic. I was welcomed to the courthouse by the extremely "friendly" security staff. They got the job done through and ensured everyone was safe going into the building. I was very disappointed that the drink machine was out of order when they had advertised online that you could purchase refreshments in the waiting area. Towards the end of the day, I did find out that you can leave the waiting area to purchase drinks and snacks from vending machines on another floor. They really should have posted a sign indicating this information on their broken vending machines. Although I did not get picked to be on a jury, I enjoyed sitting in a comfortable chair and reading my book for 8 hours. Hopefully I don't have to go back soon.

Union County was carved from Mecklenburg and Anson counties in 1842, its name chosen as a political…read morecompromise. Democrats favored Andrew Jackson, Whigs leaned toward Henry Clay, and so they settled on 'Union' to reflect cooperation. Two years later, Monroe was incorporated as the county seat and named in honor of President James Monroe. The historic courthouse, completed in 1886, is a fine example of Late Victorian civic architecture. Its symmetrical two-story brick façade features a five-bay central block flanked by two-bay wings, all topped by a low hip roof and a commanding cupola that still defines the skyline of downtown Monroe. In 1922, two three-bay wings were added to the north and south, carefully designed to preserve the building's original balance and style. More than just a handsome structure, the courthouse has stood witness to pivotal chapters in Union County's story from Reconstruction-era governance to civil rights-era legal battles. It remains a proud and enduring symbol of the county's civic life. [Review 1307 of 2025 - 4442 in North Carolina - 24859 overall]

Professional court facility and staff. One of the best in North Carolina.read more