This is a focal point to downtown Hillsville. The property is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and was the county’s second. Construction for the building took place between 1872 and 1874. Architecture of the structure combines two traditional courthouse forms: the arcaded front and the porticoed temple form with flanking wings. It has a Doric portico in front of an arcaded ground floor. Italian brackets adorn the pediment, topped by an octagonal cupola with pinnacle. Local builder Col. Ira B. Coltrane was the chief architect. It was the scene of a tragic courtroom shooting in March 1912 where five were killed including the presiding judge and sheriff. Hidden since 1911, the original rock wall in front was uncovered and restored in 2003. The nearby Carroll County Historical Museum offers tours by appointment.
