Grayson County | US Courthouses

Grayson County is named for William Grayson, who was a delegate to the Continental Congress from 1784 to 1787 and on of the first United States Senators from Virginia.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Smyth County and Wythe County

E – Carroll County and Galax

S – Surry County, North Carolina, Alleghany County, North Carolina and Ashe County, North Carolina

W – Johnson County, Tennessee and Washington County

Created: November 7, 1792

County Seat:

Greenville 1793 – 1850

Independence 1850 – present

Old County Courthouse – Independence

Location: 107 East Main Street / Independence Avenue

Built: 1908 – 1909

Style: Romanesque

Architect: Frank Pierce Milburn of Washington, DC

Contractor: P O Shrake and E L Robbins of Grassy Creek

Description: The building faces south and is a two story red colored brick structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Independence, The south front has a central entrance on the first story with small portico with balcony on the second story. At each corner are large octagonal towers with steep roofs. The building is complete with Flemish gables, a hip roof, arched windows and spiral staircases. In the interior, the walls of the first story are treated with rough-cast stucco and the hallway runs north-south. The large courtroom occupies most of the second story.

See: The architect Frank Pierce Milburn of Washington, DC.

See: National Register of Historic Places – Grayson County Courthouse

County Courthouse – Independence

Location: 129 Davis Street / Independence Avenue

Built: 1977 – 1979

Style: Modern

Architect: Hinnant, Adison & Hinnant of Lexington

Contractor: Richard E Phillirri, Inc.

Description: The building faces south and is a two story buff colored brick, concrete and glass structure. The building sits on the side of a hill in the center of Independence overlooking the old courthouse to the south. The center section is white colored concrete with vertical pillars framing the large recessed windows and glass panel entrance. Wings on the east and west sides extend from the main building and have a wide concrete belt along the roof line and extending across the center section. The building houses the County Circuit Court, County General District Court and County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court of the 27th Judicial Circuit. The building was renovated in 2011. The architect was Encompas, IPS, Inc. and the contractor was Highlands Mechanical ASF Corporation.

See: The architect, Hinnant, Adison & Hinnant of Lexington, designed courthouses in Botecourt County, Buena Vista and Shenandoah County.

Old County Courthouse – Greenville ( Old Town )

Location: NE – Greenville Road . Justice Road

Built: 1834 – 1835

Style: Coloninal Revival

Architect: James Toncray

Contractor: James Toncray

Description: The building faces south and is a two story red colored brick structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Greenville ( Old Town ) at the junction of highway 640 and 634. The central block is two stories with central entrance on the first story, Above the entrance is a small balcony. There are recessed two story wings on the east and west sides. The roof is hipped. The interior has eight fireplaces. On the south across Greenville Road is the Clerk’s Office built in 1810.

See: The 27th Judicial Circuit includes Bland County, Carroll County, Floyd County, Galax, Giles County, Montgomery County, Pulaski County, Radford and Wythe County.

History: The county was created in 1792 and Greenville was selected as the county seat in 1793. The first county meeting in 1793 took place in a barn. The first courthouse was a log structure built in Greenville on 1794. The second courthouse was a two story structure built by James Toncray in 1834 across the road from the old courthouse and is still standing. The county seat was moved to Independence in 1850. The third courthouse was built in 1850. The fourth courthouse was constructed in 1908 to 1909 at a cost of $25,000. The fifth and present courthouse was constructed in 1977 to 1979.

Note: The highest point in Virginia is Mount Rogers at 5729 feet ( 1716 meters ) which is located in the county.