Since its beginning, not counting a few brief intervals, Jones-borough has always had a courthouse. The town could be said to have begun as a courthouse.

In 1777, North Carolina formed Washington County. The Court of Washington County first met at the house of Charles Robertson on Sinking Creek, and a group was given the task of finding a location for a “courthouse, prison and stocks.” The Watauga and Nolichucky settlements both wanted to be chosen, but the committee picked a place on Little Limestone Creek about halfway between the two where there were a number of free-running springs. They laid out a town around it and called it Jonesborough.

For more of the history on Jonesborough's courthouses, check out the Heritage Page of the Monday, Oct. 8, 2012, edition of the Johnson City Press. This story was written by Assistant News Editor Brad Jolly and can be found on page 4A.