Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 06/19/1973
NRHP Listing Date 07/16/1973
NRHP Reference Number 73002059
The second courthouse of Russell County is one of the earliest public buildings in Southwest Virginia. The simple stone structure was built in 1799 to replace the first courthouse, a log building destroyed by fire. It served the county until the county seat was moved to Lebanon in 1818. The courthouse was then acquired by the Dickenson family who made it the wing of a brick farmhouse. Despite its conversion to residential use, much of the building’s original interior fabric was preserved. In recent years the Old Russell County Courthouse property was again acquired by the county, and both the stone section and the brick addition have undergone a careful restoration for development into a museum. The original surrounding county seat town of Dickensonville has all but disappeared.
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: September 21, 2021
