Sullivan County is named for John Sullivan, who was Governor of New Hampshire.
Surrounding Courthouses:
N – Scott County, Virginia and Washington County, Virginia and Bristol, Virginia
E – Johnson County and Carter County
S – Carter County and Washington County
W – Hawkins County
Created: October 18, 1779 
County Seat:
Blountville 1795 – present
County Courthouse – Blountville
Location: 3411 Bristol Highway / Highway 394
Built: 1866 – 1867
Style: Colonial Revival
Architect: James Hunt and John Lyle
Contractor: James Hunt and John Lyle
Description: The building faces east and is a two story red colored brick structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Blountville. The east front has a large portico with four white colored columns rising to a pediment at the roof line. On the center of the roof is a white colored cupola. The courtroom is located on the second story. In 1956, the jail was added onto the west rear side. On the north side is a modern two story red colored brick addition constructed in 1958. The architect was Milton P Robelet and the contractor was Click Construction Company.
County Justice Center – Blountville
Location: 140 Blountville Bypass / Bristol Highway
Built: 1987 – 1989
Style: Modern
Architect: Allen N Dryden
Contractor: Armstrong Construction Company, Inc
Description: The building faces south and is a two story buff colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Blountville to the north of the courthouse. The building has square lines with sections projecting from the main building. The glass paneled entrance is along the east side of the south front. The roof line is flat.
History: With Blountville having been established as the county seat in 1795, the first courthouse was built of massive logs with a jail in the rear. This building was replaced in 1825 by a brick second courthouse and jail. The third courthouse was a rebuild in 1853, and was burned in 1863 by Federal forces during the Civil War. The building was rebuilt within the walls in 1866 as the fourth courthouse. In 1920 to 1921, the building was rebuilt as the fifth courthouse and the architect was T S Brown. The intact bell tower of the 1866 courthouse was placed atop this new building but was removed in the 1970’s. A new jail was built in 1956 , and additions were made in 1958. In 1988, the jail was moved to the site of the County Justice Center, which was completed in 1989.
County Justice Center – Bristol
Location: 801 Anderson Street / 8th Street
Built: 1961 – 1963
Style: Modern
Architect: Anderson & Gilliam
Contractor: Trammel Construction Company, Inc. of Bristol, Virginia
Description: The building faces west and is a two story white colored limestone clad, concrete and glass structure. The building is located in the center of Bristol. The center section on the east and west sides are glass panels. The roof line is flat. The building also serves as the City Hall. There are two wings connected by a common atrium. The north wing is the City Hall and the south wing is the Justice Center. The north wing was constructed as the original section in 1960 to 1962. The building expanded in 2002 with the addition of the atrium and south wing housing courtrooms and Sullivan County offices named as the Ralph P Harr Justice Center. The architect was Price-Guthrie-Muse Architecture Engineering and the contractor was Steadman Construction Company pf Kingsport. The north wing containing the City Hall was also renovated in 2002. The architect was Barge, Waggoner, Sumner, and Cannon, Inc. and the contractor was Powell Building Group, Inc.
See: The courthouse in Bristol, Virginia
County Justice Center – Kingsport
Location: 200 Shelby Street / West Market Street
Built: 1986 – 1988
Style: Modern
Architect: David Leonard Associates
Contractor: Armstrong Construction Company, Inc.
Description: The building faces northeast and is a two story red colored brick, concrete and glass structure. The building is located in the center of Kingsport. The main entrance is located at the east corner with two brick pillars supporting the roof and a recessed concave glass wall rising two stories. A horizontal belt runs below the first story windows. The roof line is flat. The building is named as the Justice Center.
County Courthouse – Bountville
County Justice Center – Blountville
County Justice Center – Bristol
County Justice Center – Kingsport
Photos taken 2012, 2013 and 2014