038-0004 Old Grayson County Courthouse and Clerk's Office

For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF

VLR Listing Date 09/18/1996

NRHP Listing Date 02/21/1997

NRHP Reference Number 97000151

Grayson County’s seat was established at this site in Old Town, near Galax, in 1799. The second courthouse, a log structure, was built soon after. The diminutive clerk’s office was erected in 1810. In 1833 the county commissioned James Toncray to built a brick courthouse. Toncray, a leading builder of courthouses in Southwest Virginia, constructed Wythe County’s courthouse in 1818 (demolished) and Scott County’s courthouse in 1829. He built courthouses for Montgomery and Floyd counties (both demolished) at the same time he was working on the Grayson County structure. Toncray employed a tripartite composition, using two-story wings, for each of his courthouses. The building became a private residence after the county seat was moved to Independence. It later was used as a hotel and eventually for a barn. Both it and the clerk’s office were privately restored in 1988.

Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.

Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark

Updated: October 14, 2018