Charles City County is named for Prince Charles, who was the second son of King James I of England and later became King Charles I.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – New Kent County
S – Surry County, Prince George County and Hopewell
W – Chesterfield County and Henrico County
Created: 1634 
County Seat:
City Point 1634 – 1639
Westover Plantation 1639 – 1730
Charles City 1730 – present
County Courthouse – Charles City
Location: 10780 Courthouse Road / Watermelon Fields Road
Built: 2003 – 2005
Style: Modern
Architect: Wiley and Wilson of Lynchburg / Moseley Architects, Inc.
Contractor: Canavan Construction of Richmond
Description: The building faces west and is a two story buff colored brick, concrete and glass structure. The building is located on spacious landscaped grounds in the center of Charles City. The west front has a projecting center section with three high arches at the front and two high arches on either side. One story glass paneled sections run north and south from the center section to projecting one story sections. The red colored roof is hipped. The building houses the County Circuit Court, County General District Court and County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court of the 9th Judicial Circuit.
See: The architect, Wiley and Wilson of Lynchburg, also designed courthouses in Gloucester County, Lancaster County, Lunenburg County, Middlesex County and Richmond County.
Note: The county is one of the original 8 shires in 1634, being Charles City Shire.
Old County Courthouse – Charles City
Location: Courthouse Road / Watermelon Fields Road
Built: 1740
Style: Federal
Architect: Unknown
Contractor: Unknown
Description: The building faces south and is a one story red colored brick laid in Flemish bond and wood structure. The building is located on spacious landscaped grounds in the center of Charles City on the north side of the courthouse. The building is “T” shaped. The south front has a porch supported by four pillars. The building has the original modillion cornice.The red colored tin roof is hipped. An addition was built in 1880 and in in 1893 by John Tyler. On the east side is the old Clerk’s Office.
Note: The courthouse is the fourth oldest courthouse in the United States. The oldest courthouses is located in King William County, Virginia (1725). The second oldest courthouses is in Salem County, New Jersey (1735). The third oldest is in Hanover County, Virginia (1737). The fifth oldest is in Richmond County, Virginia (1748). Because the county records were destroyed during the Civil War, the construction date of the courthouse is uncertain. It is believed that the courthouse was built in the early 1730′s. or 1740′s The similarity between the brickwork with that of the courthouse at nearby Westover Plantation shows that the two buildings were constructed by the same builder.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Charles City County Court House
See: The 9th Judicial Circuit includes Gloucester County, James City County, King and Queen County, King William County, Mathews County, Middlesex County, New Kent County, Williamsburg and York County
History: The county was created in 1634 and City Point was selected as the county seat, which is now part of Hopewell. The county seat was moved to Westover Plantation in 1639 on the north side of the James River. The first courthouse was built. In 1730, the county seat was moved to Charles City. The second courthouse was built in 1757 and is still standing. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 2003 to 2005.
County Administration Building – Charles City
Location: 10900 Courthouse Road / John Tyler Memorial Highway
Built: Unknown
Style: Classical
Architect: Unknown
Contractor: Unknown
Description: The building faces north and is a two story buff colored brick, concrete and glass structure. The building is located on spacious landscaped grounds in the center of Charles City to the west of the courthouse. The north front has a central entrance with white colored framed doorway. On the roof are three large dormers. The east and west wings are one story.
County Courthouse – Charles City
Old County Courthouse – Charles City
Old Clerk’s Office – Charles City
County Administration Building – Charles City
Photos taken 2013