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a <br />�R <br />ORANGE COUNTY COURT HISTOR <br />The Orange County Courthouse as it would have looked in 1900. <br />The large brick structures that <br />comprise much of Orange Coumry's <br />present -day government center cover a <br />site with a long history of industrial or <br />craft use. Archaeologists have uncovered <br />a rich record of human activities by both <br />Indians and Europeans lying below the <br />surface of the land along the banks of <br />the Eno River. The government complex <br />had its start in 1754 when the county <br />seat moved here from its initial location <br />near the Haw River. A small new wood <br />frame courthouse was built in 1755, <br />on a special town lot reserved for it as <br />well as for a new jail and market house. <br />These structures helped establish present - <br />day Hillsborough as the new permanent <br />county seat. The town was initially called <br />Orange Courthouse or Corbinton, but <br />incorporated in 1759 as Childsburgh, and <br />was renamed Hillsborough in 1766. <br />A second courthouse was built on the <br />same site in 1778, and was replaced in <br />1790. <br />In 1844, the County began construction <br />of a large new two -story brick <br />courthouse under the direction of local <br />master builder John Berry. Completed <br />in 1846, this structure stands in the <br />original courthouse square where it is still <br />in use. Its handsome bell tower contains <br />the town's beloved 18th century English <br />clock. With funds raised by local residents, <br />the clock was restored between 2001 <br />and 2004. Population growth forced the <br />County to plan a new courthouse in 1949. <br />This structure could not be completed <br />until 1954 due to the rationing of <br />structural steel following World War 1I. <br />The 1950s courthouse was expanded by <br />large additions in 1997 and 2009 to create <br />the present Orange County Justice Facility. <br />Much of the low lying land in the <br />foreground was covered by a range of <br />small-scale industrial activities during <br />the 18th and 19th centuries. Activities <br />included the operation of a brickyard, <br />pottery, tan yard and a 19th century school <br />near Margaret Lane. Local workers often <br />lived in small homes and shacks located <br />within and around the businesses. <br />9 <br />1 9 <br />