Craven County is named for William Craven, who was the 1st Earl of Craven and was a Lord Proprietor of colonial North Carolina.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Pitt County and Beaufort County
E – Beaufort County, Pamlico County and Carteret County
S – Carteret County
W – Jones County and Lenoir County
Created: December 3, 1705
County Seat:
New Bern 1705 – present
County Courthouse – New Bern
Location: 302 Broad Street / Craven Street
Built: 1883 – 1884
Style: Italianate
Architect: Samuel Sloan of Sloan and Balderston
Contractor: John B Lane.
Description: The building faces east and is a two story dark red colored brick style structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of New Bern. The east front has a high square tower with entrance on the first story and rising above the roof line with a steep roof. The second story windows are arched at the north and south ends are one story arched porticos. The building has a mansard roof. In the interior, the first story has a cross hall plan with central hallway. The courtroom on the second story spans the width of the building. The building houses the County Superior Court and County District Court of the 3rd Judicial District. On the west side is a red colored brick Courthouse Annex constructed in 1992 to 1993. The architect was Peterson Architects of New Bern and the contractor was Trader Construction Company of New Bern.
County Justice Center – New Bern
Location: 1100 Clarks Road / Highway 70
Built: 2007 – 2009
Style: Modern
Architect: Moseley Architects
Contractor: DeVere Construction Company, Inc.
Description: The building faces southeast and is a one story dark red colored brick and concrete structure. The southeast front has a white colored portico with four columns with pediment above the flat roof line.
See: The 3rd Judicial District includes Carteret County, Pamlico County and Pitt County.
History: The county was created in 1705 and New Bern was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was built shortly after but burned in 1861. The county used rented premises until the second and present courthouse was constructed in 1883 to 1884. The County Judicial Center was constructed in 2007 to 2009.
County Courthouse – New Bern
Tryon Governor’s Palace – New Bern
Photos taken 2012