Buncombe County was formed in 1791 and named for Edward Buncombe, a Revolutionary War officer…read more Nestled in the mountains of western North Carolina, the county quickly became a cultural and political center, with Asheville as its seat and growing rapidly in the 1800s thanks to railroads, tourism, and the region's reputation for restorative mountain air. The Buncombe County Courthouse, completed in 1928, stands as a towering example of Beaux-Arts architecture with subtle Art Deco touches. Designed by Douglas Ellington (who is also responsible for the neighboring Asheville City Hall), the courthouse rises seventeen stories, making it the tallest county courthouse in North Carolina. Its limestone façade, classical ornamentation, and richly appointed interior ‐ with marble floors, coffered ceilings, and bronze fixtures ‐ reflect the civic optimism of Asheville's boom years, just before the Great Depression slowed further development. Beside the courthouse stands a three-tiered empty plinth. From 1905 until its removal in 2021, it held a monument to Confederate soldiers, taken down following a vote by county commissioners. The vacant pedestal now serves as a quiet marker of the region's evolving public memory. Asheville is a city of smart parking meters and parking decks. You won't find free parking here. [Review 1234 of 2025 - 4419 in North Carolina - 24786 overall]

So....I got pulled over by the police for what they said was excessive speed....but they didn't…read morehave a Radar in their car, so it was his word against mine....what he did have was me and a car with an expired tag........hey....he had to get me on something if he couldn't nail me for speeding *grin* Having dodged the speeding ticket I still had to get my car inspected and off to the court house to get my ticket dismissed. Now.....mind you...I grew up in this town and have visited this place only a few times in my life (and NO I wasn't locked up here*wink*), but back in the day...you could come in and walk around anywhere....thanks to the idiots overseas, that world of being open has changed completely. You have to enter on the side of the building and pass through metal detectors? If you have a bag it is searched.....ugh! Then as you make your way up to the main foyer you can see what excellent old school architecture and craftsmanship is all about....... 1 more floor up and there is a "assembly line-esk" set up for VERY young attorney like folks that take your ticket.....see you've solved the problem....and send you on your way. And in 2 shakes of a lambs tail I was back out the building.

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.

98 steps. Not 100. I don't know why they missed this opportunity for a round number but I counted…read morethem going up and coming back down, getting the same. 98 steps. However, you can drive to the top where there is parking. If you do that, you'll miss the Jackson County Confederate Memorial that is midway on the stairs. The Historical Jackson County Courthouse is a 1913 Classical Revival structure that towers on a hill above and at the end of Sylva's main street. It has served here until 1994 when the new Justice Center opened a couple of miles away. It sat unused for several years until it was refreshed and restored, reopening in 2011 as the Jackson County Public Library complex that includes the Jackson County Historical Association, the Genealogical Society, and the Arts Council. Two stories and constructed of painted brick, it has a monumental portico at the front with large classical columns and is topped with a three-stage cupola above the central block. If you've been to Marshall NC, it does look a lot like the Madison County Courthouse. [Review 531 of 2026 - 4626 in North Carolina - 25713 overall]

All those stairs!!!! They just call to be climbed!! It's a 55 ft elevation gain…read more It's very pretty from the bottom and from the top of the stairs. Take a moment to notice the Mountain View's. It's just lovely. Don't want to climb those stairs? Don't worry you can get to the Library and Courthouse by car.

Tryon County was dissolved in 1779 when it was split into Lincoln and Rutherford Counties. Tryon…read moreCounty was named for a British colonial administrator, and we just can't have that. General Griffith Rutherford was a Revolutionary War Hero. Shepherd's Creek was the first county seat, later replaced by Rutherfordton in 1787. This is the fifth courthouse to serve the county after the 1836 Greek Revival-style building was destroyed by fire in 1907. It features Renaissance Revival architecture with a smooth stone veneer and a two-story portico. The classical detailing truly projects the quiet power of the law. It was completed in 1926. The Rutherford County Courthouse houses the County Superior and District Courts of the 29th Judicial District. There is a small annex building to the north. On a weeknight, there was easy parking. I'm not sure where you're headed when court is in session during the week as this is not a big city. [Review 652 of 2025 - 4139 in North Carolina - 24213 overall]

This beautiful Classical Revival structure is the Henderson County Courthouse and it was completed…read morein 1905. It was designed by Richard Sharp Smith, the former resident of the Biltmore Estate. Smith is also responsible for the Madison County Courthouse (Marshall), the Jackson County Courthouse (Sylva) and the Swain County Courthouse (Bryson City) among others. The building is two stories of gray colored stone atop a marble staircase with six stunning columns that rise to a pediment. Henderson County was established in 1838 from the southern portion of Buncombe County and is named for Leonard Henderson who was Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court (1839-1833). Hendersonville has been the county seat since 1847. There is street parking nearby and a parking lot adjacent. On a quiet weekend morning, there wasn't much going on so I had plenty of time to walk the grounds and peek through the front doorway. I'd love a tour but that was not available today. [Review 1144 of 2025 - 4373 in North Carolina - 24697 overall]

The Henderson County Courthouse was built in 1995 when the historic courthouse was condemned…read more Henderson County had also grown and outgrown the space the historic courthouse provided. Padgett and Freeman were the architects. The current courthouse was modernized and made ADA-compliant. It also meets the current fire codes and has a security system. If you are looking for the Historic Henderson County Courthouse, constructed with brick and the gold dome, that building is located at One Historic Courthouse Square, at the corner of 1st and Main streets. It was turned into a museum, so you can visit and tour the building when the Heritage Museum of Henderson County is open.

Let me start by saying that there are some nice people who work here and they do try to help but…read moreoften their hands are tied. This is a very incompetent institution, I have been messed up several times with wrong court dates and fees applied to wrong accounts and I could go on and on. 2 crazy things are that you can only argue incorrect property taxes in a few weeks in June, they don't know which weeks until you get closer to June, too bad for you if the assessment is more then double what it should be, pay it, no other way around it. Wanna evict a scum bag Tennant? Can take up to 90 days because of how backwards it is here plus will cost you $200 just to file. In both of these examples the surrounding counties and states are totally different and far. The did manage to build a palace of a courthouse for themselves though.

This court is very incompetent. They are only interested in making decisions to get the most money…read morefrom you. They will screw up your court dates, your payments, and what the judge says. If possible verify your court dates, keep all receipts, and use something to record what all is said. The clerks are overworked and tend to screw up. And also I have noticed that the clerks do not know what they are doing I asked one clerk a question then asked another clerk the same question and I got two different answers. Sometimes the clerks will tell you what you want to hear just to get rid of you. I have been dealing with 1 simple ticket for over a year now. It is not like this in other county's. So beware if you have to get involved with this court.

Judge gave my funds to opposing lawyer and is missing in action. Have not heard anything about my…read moreshare of equitable distribution

I called the Lincoln County (NC) Clerks office to find out how I get a copy of the written…read morejudgement from Small Claims court. I need it to add to statement for a criminal complaint for a different county in the same matter. I was told to come to the Court House for it. When I asked exactly what I would receive if I drove an hr. to the Court House I was told to hold. Been on hold for 25 minutes now. I'm sure they're hoping I'll hang up, but I won't. Zero concern for a non-lawyer 'newbie' to matters such as these. Zero accountabilty I'm sure. Typical gov't. employee attitude.

Big thanks to Richard R. for adding this one that did not come up in the usual searches and yet, it…read morewas the main reason I passed through the DuPont Forest. I love bridges and I love covered bridges even more! And wow, thanks for the amazing writeup of all the drama on this property that was an eye-opener. I parked the van at the High Falls Trailhead (there are restrooms and even a wifi here!) and made my way along the trail to the bridge. It's about 0.75 of a mile on a path through the woods. I am apparently not as delicious as usual as I earned zero mosquito bites despite sweating a lot in the humidity. I'd call this walk "easy plus." The bridge itself is impressive and quite modern. And I would suggest not missing the nearby Falls though I was simply too tired and it was getting too late for me. I'll need to plan better next time! The walk back was much easier as I opted to take the gravel road that is easy and smooth, but only open for emergency vehicles and the forest rangers. I would rate the hike as "easy" for 0.6 miles though not wheelchairable. You can ask the rangers for access by vehicle for handicapped but they're only open regular hours. [Review 20030 overall - 3463 in North Carolina - 1005 of 2023.]

High Falls Covered Bridge (also known as Buck Forest Covered Bridge) is one of my favorite bridges…read morein the Southern United States. It is a modern structure that has an interesting history. It is an example of the power of the people versus the dollar power of a developer. HISTORY In 1999, Sterling Diagnostic Imaging decided to sell their interest in the land that holds Triple Falls and High Falls, two of the most gorgeous waterfalls you will ever visit this side of the Mississippi. For reasons still unknown, the company decided to use an unusual bidding method by choosing to keep the bidding private and secretive. The State offered up a bid in efforts to save the land for public use, but Sterling announced a developer by the name of Jim Anthony won with a bid of 6.35 million. The developer initially announced in the Hendersonville Times News that he had no plans to develop the land, but instead wanted to use it as a private retreat. However, it soon became apparent Anthony was indeed planning a massive upscale gated community. The fact that the deed he purchased from Sterling Diagnostics stating the land could not be used for residential purposes at the Transylvania Courthouse did not seem to matter. It was later discovered the complex legal agreement between the two was unenforceable and the battle began between the state and Anthony. Anthony proceeded to begin building the roads and this gorgeous covered bridge as part of his planned community, but thankfully he was ultimately defeated. On October 23, 2000 Governor Jim Hunt and the Council of State unanimously voted to invoke eminent domain on the tract of land owned by developer Anthony. In many ways Anthony still won big, because the State paid him 24.5 million dollars in an out of court settlement. WOW! The Falls opened to the public on December 17, 2000. Since then, the entire 2200 acres has been integrated into Dupont State Forest. [History Reference: Romantic Asheville - "How Dupont State Forest was saved"] FINAL THOUGHTS Aside from being one of the most beautiful covered bridges you will ever see, it also is part of a trail system that includes arguably the most beautiful waterfalls in the South. If that is not enough of a reason to come here, let me give you movie fans one more reason. Many scenes from the 1st Hunger Games were filmed right here in this forest. The scene were Katniss finds Peeta camouflaged in the ground at the waterfall is located on the second tier of Triple Falls... just a half mile downstream of High Falls Covered Bridge. Movie scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxvyMiwhJWw Year Built: 2000 Obvious materials: Wood, stone, concrete Spans over: Little River at the top of High Falls Location: Dupont State Forest @ Buck Forest Road

Very professional and polite courtroom staff. Parking can be an issue. Lot behind the primary…read more"Hall of Justice" in Statesville is a good place to park.