These graceful oaks were planted hundreds of years ago, predating the street plan of 1813. Covington had been the parish seat since 1819 and for many years was the center of commerce, industry, and government on the north shore. The first courthouse stood on the east side of the Bogue Falava River at what is now called Claiborne Hill, but the courthouse location was later moved to this site, where a more permanent brick courthouse was built in 1885. That building served until it was replaced by a modernized structure completed in 1960, after the old courthouse at this site was demolished in 1958, leaving only the World War One monument seen in the image. The St. Tammany Parish Justice Center was constructed just up the street in 2003.