Nottoway County is named for the Nottawa Native American tribe.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Amelia County
E – Dinwiddie County
S – Brunswick County and Lunenburg County
Created: December 22, 1788
County Seat:
Nottaway 1788 – present
County Courthouse – Nottoway
Location: 328 West Courthouse Road / Old Nottoway Road
Built: 1839 – 1843
Style: Greek Revival / Roman Revival
Architect: Branch H Elllington
Contractor: Branch H Elllington
Description: The building faces east and is a one story red colored brick structure. The building is located on spacious grounds in the center of Nottoway. The east front of the “H” shaped building has a large portico with four white colored columns rising to a pediment at the roof line. The roof is hipped. In the interior, the courtroom occupies the center of building. The building houses the County Circuit Court, County General District Court and Juvenile and Domestic Relation Court of the 11th Judicial District. The County Clerk’s Office is a separate building on the north side of the courthouse. The General District Court is attached to the rear of County Clerk’s Office.
Note: Because of its wide lawn it was often the site of “settling disputes.” In 1818 Dr. Jack Hardawy and Dr. George Bacon fought it out with dirks. After both men collapsed, George Bacon was carried to the jury room. He died there. When Jack Hardaway recovered from eleven stab wounds he was brought to trial. He was acquited.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Nottoway County Courthouse
See: Thomas Jefferson designed the Roman Temple style of courthouse. Prominent among the courthouse builders who had worked at the University of Virginia were Dabney Cosby, Sr., Malcolm F Crawford, and William B Phillips. They in turn influenced other builders in the Jeffersonian idiom, including Branch Ellington, William A Howard, David Meade, and Valentine Parrish. Courthouse still standing include those in Buckingham County and Charlotte County designed by Jefferson and those in Caroline County, Clarke County, Cumberland County, Goochland County, Greene County, Lunenburg County, Madison County, Mecklenburg County, Nottoway County, Page County, Rappahannock County and Sussex County.
See: The 11th Judicial Circuit includes Amelia County, Dinwiddie County, Petersburg and Powhatan County.
History: The county was created in 1788 and Nottoway was selected as the county seat. In 1789, commissioners were appointed by the court to build the first courthouse on the property of Peter Randolph. The courthouse was sold in 1841 as it required repair. The second and present courthouse was constructed on the same site in 1839 to 1843.
County Courthouse Complex – Nottoway
County Clerk’s Office – Nottoway
Photos taken 2013