Northampton County, formed in 1741, was served by other courthouses on this site before this building was constructed in 1858. Samuel Calvert oversaw the project at the time, and Henry King Burgwyn has been credited as architect. Set atop a high base, the building is one of the few surviving examples in North Carolina of the full-blown Greek Revival temple form. This noble brick structure, with its Ionic portico and columns, has become a symbol of Northampton County.