Old Beaufort County Courthouse

Dating from about 1786, this is the second oldest courthouse building standing in North Carolina, one of only a handful of surviving federal courthouses in the state and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Now home to the Beaufort-Hyde-Martin Regional Library, the building is open to the public Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The original courtroom may be viewed on the second floor by request at the lending desk. It contains a portrait of Henry, Duke of Beaufort, the Lord Proprietor for whom the county was named. The library also houses paintings and sketches of historic buildings in Washington, some of which are no longer standing.