Washington County is named for George Washington, who was the first President of the United States from 1789 to 1797.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Bertie County and Chowan County
E – Tyrrell County
S – Hyde County and Beaufort County
W – Martin County and Bertie County
Created: April 14, 1741 
County Seat:
Lees Mill ( Roper ) 1801 – 1823
Plymouth 1823 – present
County Courthouse – Plymouth
Location: 120 Adams Street / West Mail Street
Built: 1818 – 1819
Style: Classical Revival
Architect: Charles C Benton & Frank W Benton
Contractor: Blalock Brothers
Description: The building faces west and is a three story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Plymouth. The west front has a large portico with four high white colored columns rising to a pediment at the roof line. The recessed entrance is trimmed with a small pediment above. The roof line is flat. In the interior, the first story has a wide transverse hall. The floors are poured concrete and the walls are plastered. The jail is located on the third story. The courtroom is located on the second story. The building houses the County Superior Court and County District Court of the 2nd Judicial District.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Washington County Courthouse
See: The 2nd Judicial District includes Beaufort County, Hyde County, Martin County and Tyrrell County.
History: The county was created in 1799 and Lees Mill ( Roper ) was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was built at Lee’s Mill in 1800. The county seat was moved to Plymouth in 1823 and the second courthouse was a wood structure erected in 1823. The courthouse was burned in 1862 during the Civil War and the third courthouse was built in 1865. The courthouse was burned in 1869 and the fourth courthouse was a custom house owned by the Hornthal Brothers and the building was destroyed by fire in 1881. The fifth courthouse was a wooden structure built in 1882 and was torn down when the sixth and present courthouse was constructed in 1918 to 1919.
County Courthouse – Plymouth
Photos taken 2012