Jefferson Town

Ashe County, North Carolina

Home | Whats New | Site Index | Contact

Jefferson Town Hall is located at 302 East Main Street, Jefferson, NC 28640.
Phone: 336‑846‑9368.

Beginnings [1]

The county seat of Ashe was established at Jefferson, which was known during the early nineteenth century as Jeffersonton, in 1803. The first courthouse was log, replaced about 1832 with a brick building. This building was demolished after the extant courthouse was constructed in 1904 behind the 1832 building. Elisha Mitchell expressed an unfavorable view of the little town during his 1828 visit writing: "Jefferstontown has 6 or 8 dwelling houses—rather shabby."Dr. Aras Cox, wrote in a more positive way in 1900, as he described the three rows of cherry trees that lined Jefferson's main street. Cox found the county seat to be in "a good location, laid out for convenience." James Arthur also mentions the cherry trees in 1915 wilting that they: "give not only shade, but an air of distinction not noticeable in newer towns, while the colonial style of several of the houses indicate a degree of refinement among the earlier inhabitants sadly missing from many places of equal antiquity."

  1. Sherry Joines Wyatt and Lori Tolliver-Jones, Historic and Architectural Resources of Ashe County, North Carolina, ca. 1799-1955, nomination document, 2009, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places, Washington, D.C.

Nearby Towns: Lansing Town • West Jefferson Town •


Home | Whats New | Site Index | Contact
Privacy | Disclaimer

Copyright © 1997-2024, The Gombach Group