On March 25, 2010, the Chatham County Courthouse burned. Photos of the tragic event are part of the Chatham County Historical Association's permanent digital collection. 

Three years after the fire, the rebuilt courthouse — retaining the second floor courtroom and boasting a larger ground floor museum of local history — opened on April 20, 2013. The new walls are fortified with steel, replacing the wooden fire joists of the original building which, though flammable, worked as intended to save the exterior brick shell of the building.

In 2023, the Chatham County Historical Association sponsored a program "Reclaimed from the Flames," about the rebuilding of the courthouse after the 2010 fire. Architects Grimsley and Taylor Hobbs talked about the project and answered questions. The recorded program can be viewed on CCHA's YouTube channel.

Here's the link: https://youtu.be/9MrL4kBX4sY

Filmmaker Mike O’Connell’s documentary about the fire, the re-building of the courthouse, and the significance of courthouses in America, a co-production between UNC-TV and Haw River Films called “The Courthouse,” is available to watch for free anytime at

https://www.pbs.org/video/the-courthouse-documentary-mv5bz5/

You can also see additional still photos of the fire on our website:

https://chathamhistory.org/Courthouse-Fire-Photo-Gallery

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