Bladen County is named for Martin Bladen, who was a member of the Board of Trade.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
E – Sampson County and Pender County
S – Columbus County
W – Robeson County
Created: March 6, 1739 
County Seat:
Elizabeth 1739 – 1773
Elizabethtown 1773 – present
County Courthouse – Elizabethtown
Location: 106 East Broad Street / South Poplar Street
Built: 1963 – 1965
Style: Modern
Architect: J L Williams of Matthews, North Carolina
Contractor: Dickenson Incorporated of Monroe, North Carolina
Description: The building faces north and is a two story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on spacious landscaped grounds in the center of Elizabethtown. The building has a white colored concrete facing in the center section with a canopy over the entrance. On the second story are narrow vertical windows. The east and west wings are lower. The window sections are framed with white colored trim. The roof line is flat. In the interior, the courtroom is located on the second story. The building houses the County Superior Court and County District Court of the 13th Judicial District. An addition was constructed on the south side.
See: The 13th Judicial District includes Columbus County and Brunswick County.
History: The county was created in 1739 and Elizabeth was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a wood structure built at Elizabeth on the Cape Fear River in 1738. The county seat became Elizabethtown in 1773. The courthouse burned in 1800 and the second courthouse was built in 1802. The courthouse burned in 1893. The third courthouse was built in 1893 and enlarged in 1925. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1965 to 1966.
County Courthouse – Elizabethtown
Photos taken 2008 and 2014