When Cumberland County celebrates the 99th anniversary of its Historic Courthouse on Monday, the atmosphere likely will be more upbeat than it was at the building’s dedication ceremony in 1926.
The keynote speaker at the ceremony on March 15, 1926, Superior Court Judge N.A. Sinclair of Fayetteville, issued two dire warnings.
First, crime was on the rise, and the average person didn’t care, Sinclair told the people gathered to celebrate their newly constructed, $500,000 “temple of justice,” The News & Observer newspaper of Raleigh reported. The article was headlined, “Judge Warns of Menace of Crime.”
Sinclair specified that crime was higher among the mostly white population in Western North Carolina than it was in Eastern North Carolina, where there was a larger Black population, the report says. He called on the crowd packed in the courtroom “to meet this menace which is facing us.”
Second, Sinclair said, the public had allowed the government to encroach on the people’s Constitutional rights. “Though government in America derives all its powers from the people, this laxity has gradually brought about the view that ‘government has inherent power and the citizen has only such rights as the government allows to trickle down to him,’” the newspaper reported.
Other dedication ceremony activities, including the reading of a poem and performances by the Fort Bragg band, were more positive, the newspaper said. Sinclair said it housed “the prettiest courtroom in the State,” the report said.
At 6:45 p.m. Monday, the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners will meet in what many today call the “old courthouse” at 130 Gillespie St. to conduct business, listen to comments and complaints from the public, and mark the building’s 99th anniversary. This is part of the county’s “History in the Making: A Celebration of Cumberland County’s Legacy” program, a news release says.
“The meeting will honor Cumberland County’s rich history while showcasing the significance of the Historic Courthouse,” the news release says. “The building currently houses several County departments and is used for planning and community meetings. Though the courtroom has not been used for court proceedings since the 1970s, it remains a key space for civic engagement.”
Normally the Board of Commissioners meets in what some call the “new courthouse,” which is the Judge E. Maurice Braswell Cumberland County Courthouse. This building opened in 1978 about a block away from the 1926 courthouse.
People who would like to attend the meeting are advised that there will be a security check with metal detectors at the entrance. For disabled persons, there is a wheelchair ramp on the south side of the building, and an elevator for the second floor courtroom.
People who would like to speak to the commissioners may sign up in person 15 minutes before the meeting begins, or they may click here to fill out an online form. They may also call 910-678-7771 or email atebbe@cumberlandcountync.gov.
Video: Cumberland County’s Old Historic Courthouse
Events in the old courthouse’s history
- Opened in 1926
- In 1963 and 2011, the Cape Fear Regional Theatre (originally the Fayetteville Little Theatre) performed The Night of January 16 in the courtroom. The show was the theater’s second-ever production following CFRT’s founding in 1962. The play portrays a murder trial, and members of the audience serve as jurors and decide if the defendant is guilty.
- Replaced as a courthouse in 1978 with a new, larger courthouse on Dick Street. But remains in use for other county purposes.
- In 1991, the building’s courtroom was a set for the movie Billy Bathgate. The cast included Dustin Hoffman, Nicole Kidman, Bruce Willis, Steven Hill, Steve Buscemi, Stanley Tucci and Frances Conroy. Local residents were extras in the courthouse scenes.
Senior reporter Paul Woolverton can be reached at 910-261-4710 and pwoolverton@cityviewnc.com.
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