Lenoir County is named for William Lenoir, who was a captain in the American Revolutionary War and who took part in the Battle of Kings Mountain.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Greene County
E – Pitt County, Craven County and Jones County
S – Jones County
W – Duplin County and Wayne County
Created: December 4, 1791 
County Seat:
Kinston 1791 – present
County Courthouse – Kinston
Location: 130 South Queen Street / King Street
Built: 1938 – 1939
Style: Neo-Classical Revival
Architect: A Mitchell Wooten and John J Rowland
Contractor: T A Loving Company
Description: The building faces west and is a three story brownish colored stone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Kinston. The west front has a large recessed porch with four large pillars rising to a header along the flat roof line. The entrance is located at the center. The second and third stories have large windows. In the interior are wide cross halls lined with tan colored marble veneer. The floor is black colored terrazzo with a tan colored edge. There are bronze stair railings. The large courtroom is located on the second story and has oak paneling with rectilinear details. There are suspended light fixtures and octagonal paneled doors. Windows illuminate either side of the chamber. The building houses the County Superior Court and County District Court of the 8th Judicial District. On the east side is a new addition constructed in 1981 to 1983. The architect was Burnstudio & Jenkins-Peer and the contractor was Dale Blosser & Associates.
Note: The courtroom is the largest courtroom in North Carolina.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Lenoir County Courthouse
See: The 8th Judicial District includes Greene County and Wayne County.
History: The county was created in 1791 and Kinston was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a wood structure built in 1792. The second courthouse was a brick structure built in 1845, The courthouse was burned in 1878. The third courthouse was built in 1880. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1938 to 1939 at a cost of $113,000.
County Courthouse – Kinston
Photos taken 2012