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COLORIZED POSTCARDS OF THE NEW
(in 1922) AND THE OLD
Above is a doctored photograph of the present-day
Courthouse shortly after its completion in 1922.
Below is a similarly colorized photograph of the
Courthouse built in 1843 on the same spot at
Market and Second streets.
 Dedication of the Courthouse in 1922
took place on Tuesday, September 26. The
story about the celebration appeared at the top of The
Smithfield Herald's front page published
September 29, 1922 (exactly 100 years ago).
The Herald's account included paragraphs filled with
the brand of eloquence associated with political
events like this a century ago:
The program would have been incomplete without a
word from Mr. Harry Barton, of Greensboro, the
architect. Mr. Barton was the dreamer who put his
dream in concrete form. "Architecture," he said,
"is an art that touches every life at some point.
Buildings are an index to the habits of the people
they serve, and the Johnston County court house
built for utility combined with beauty represents
a long step from the time when a bottle of whiskey
found a place in the corner stones of public
buildings."
Further along in the account was another paragraph
with the words of Judge F.A. Daniels of Superior
Court who said:
"This great court house was not built merely to
gratify the pride of a great people....
It is a monument to the law, an emblem of the
principles upon which the republic is founded."
The Herald wrapped up its coverage with this
paragraph:
After the judge concluded his speech, the
Johnston County bar, county officials, and others
especially invited were guests of
(the
building's contractor)
Mr. J.W. Stout
at Holt Lake, bringing to a close ceremonies the
like of which Johnston County may not see again.
Johnston's courthouse has
moved several times since the
county's establishment by the British-directed
colonial legislature in 1746. The first was at the
settlement of Walnut Creek east of present-day
Goldsboro – before North Carolina's early counties
were subdivided.
The second location was at a crossroads known as
Hinton's Quarter just east of present-day Clayton –
a centrally located spot after Johnston County's
boundaries were adjusted westward to follow frontier
settlers.
The third location was near Smith's Ferry on the
Neuse River after Wake County was carved out of
western Johnston in 1771. The combination of the
ferry landing and the relocated courthouse led to
Smithfield's incorporation as a town in 1777.
Smithfield's first courthouse was a modest wooden
structure located on the bluff above the river
overlooking Front Street north of present-day Market
and Bridge streets. The exact spot is not known, but
we do know that it was moved in 1786 to the middle
of the intersection of Market and Second streets and
in 1797 to the site of the present-day Courthouse,
which was the third of three structures to occupy
that lot over the years.
Somewhere near these residences presently under
construction above North Front Street overlooking
the river is the undetermined site of Smithfield's
first courthouse.
In 1843 Smithfield's original courthouse was
replaced by a handsome brick edifice built in
classic style with a church-like steeple (shown
in the postcard above). That's the building
that played a role in Civil War history as General
Sherman and a large part of his Union army were
camped in and around Smithfield's courthouse when
they got the dispatch in April 1865 informing them
of Lee's surrender to Grant that brought the war to
its end.
That courthouse was torn down to make way for
today's stately version.
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