Alleghany County is named for the corruption of the Delaware Native American name for the Allegheny and Ohio Rivers and means “a fine stream”.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Grayson County, Virginia
E – Surry County
S – Wilkes County
W – Ashe County
Created: 1859 
County Seat:
Sparta 1859 – present
County Courthouse – Sparta
Location: 12 South Main Street / Whitehead Street
Built: 1933 – 1934
Style: Classical Revival
Architect: Harry Barton of Greensboro
Contractor: Fowler-Jones Lumber Company
Description: The building faces southwest and is a two story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Sparta. The building is “H” shaped and the southwest front has a large portico with four white colored Truscan columns rising to a pediment at the roof line. A horizontal band runs above the top of the second story windows. The roof line is flat. The interior has a conventional hall flanked by offices running the length of the building and a vestibule with a pair of stairs to the second story courtroom. The courtroom has a fine iron stair and original furnishings. The building houses the County Superior Court and County District Court of the 23rd Judicial District.
See: National Register of Historic Places – North Carolina Courthhouses
See: The 23rd Judicial District includes Ashe County, Wilkes County and Yadkin County.
History: The county was created in 1859 and Sparta was designated as the county seat. The first court met in the Shiloh Methodist Church to the west of Sparta. The first courthouse was a wood structure built in 1867. The second courthouse was a brick structure built in 1878. The third courthouse was a two story red colored brick structure designed by Wheeler & Runge and constructed by B F Fireproof Construction Company in 1910. The courthouse was destroyed by fire in 1932. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1933 to 1934 at a cost of $17,000.
County Office Building – Sparta
Location: 90 South Main Street / Creek Street
Built: 1981 – 1982
Style: Modern
Architect: Unknown
Contractor: Unknown
Description: The building faces northeast and is a two story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located in the center of Sparta to the southeast of the courthouse. The recessed entrance is along the east side of the northeast front. The roof line is flat.
County Administration Building – Sparta
Location: 348 South Main Street / Grandview Drive
Built: 2005 – 2006
Style: Modern
Architect: Hemphill Associates, Inc. of Charlotte
Contractor: Browning Engineers of Charlotte
Description: The building faces north and is a two story concrete structure. The building is located in the center of Sparta to the southeast of the courthouse. The main entrance is on the second story of the north front. The building descends a slope on the south side. The roof line is flat. Plumbing was David N Shultz Associates and the electrical was K M Armstrong Associates Inc.
County Courthouse – Sparta
County Office Building – Sparta
County Administration Building – Sparta
Photos taken 2012