History of the Courts in Yorktown Spanning 300 Years

1697 - The first courthouse located in Yorktown was built at the insistence of the citizens of the County and the Virginia Assembly. Located on Lot 24, corner of Ballard and Main Streets, the structure was built of frame and marl with a shingle roof.

1733 - Because of rapid business and population growth, more space was soon needed requiring a new, larger courthouse to be built. The second structure, built of brick, was destroyed in the fire of March 3, 1814 which devastated much of the town.

1818 - Forty-five years after its construction, the third courthouse was literally blown off its foundation by an explosion of Union Army gunpowder stored in its chambers during the Civil War. The explosion of December 16, 1863 also destroyed the record office, jail and the Swan Tavern. All County records dating back to 1633 were saved by the Clerk of York County, Bolivar Sheild, who had stored them in an ice house until the end of the war.

1876 - In August 1875, the York County Board of Supervisors accepted a bid of $5,865 to build the fourth courthouse. A two-story brick rectangular-shaped structure was built with chimneys dominating the courthouse on each side. Once again tragedy befell a York County courthouse when an accidental chimney fire gutted this building on December 31, 1940.

1955 - The fifth courthouse, built as a larger resemblance of the second in form and architecture, remains on the corner of Ballard and Main Streets. Although the York-Poquoson court system outgrew the building, it remains the County’s "Seat of Government."

1997- The York-Poquoson Courthouse, a 64,000 square foot building, combines all courts and court services in one facility. Completed under budget, the courthouse will judiciously serve the citizens of York County and the City of Poquoson well into the millennium.