STANLY COUNTY, NC - HOFFMAN - Albemarle Court House and the 4th of July
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         Archives by: Jodie Gee		jgee2@sc.rr.com
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From the Notebook of Lilly Carter Hoffman:
 
Description by David Gaddy
 
In 1857 the town of Albemarle then 16 years old was incorporated. The date was 
February 2. During the next ten years it probably resembled nothing so much as 
the wild west towns. In the center of the town square stood the white 
clapboard county court house, two stories high with a large chimney at each 
side. East and west the doors opened from a central hall and two sets of 
stairs went up the outside front, ending on the second floor balcony. Each of 
the downstairs rooms, four of them, housed large corner fireplaces, where the 
jury and visiting lawyers could cook their meals. Upstairs the doors opened 
into the court room. Directly in front stood the judges's bench, surrounded on 
three sides by a rail. At the side were benches for the jury, and in the front 
part, benches were provided for spectators. A fireplace stood at either side 
to furnish heat in the winter.
Out on the balcony, one could see most of the town, for the courthouse was 
admirably located on a hill. A large public well stood in the center of Second 
Street and here farmers from the county gathered to talk and water their 
horses on Saturday "Court Day".
 
The above is a good description of the first Stanly County House in which 
Joseph Marshall had his office as Sheriff. I remember the jail, the Marshall 
Hotel and the first Court House after it was moved from the Center of the 
square to the site where the First National Bank of Albemarle now stands. 
In 1891 and 1892 my father had a general store just north of the Courthouse. 
As a small child (3 yrs old), I can remember there was a celebration and 
crowds of people had come to Albemarle to celebrate. It must have been the 4th 
of July, 1891. My sister, Florence had me stand in a chair on the side walk 
and watch a man on the balcony of the Court house as he held over the railing 
long streamers of red, white and blue paper. I can't remember what happened to 
the paper, but I remember the crowd extended from the courthouse to the store.
 
Submitted by Jodie Gee