[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 29 (Wednesday, February 12, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E119-E120]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING THE 300TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE KING WILLIAM COUNTY COURTHOUSE
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HON. ROBERT J. WITTMAN
of virginia
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
Mr. WITTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 300th anniversary
of the King William County Courthouse, which stands as the oldest
courthouse building in continuous use in the United States.
The King William County Courthouse was constructed in 1725 and was
the heart of local self-government and much of the social, economic,
and communal life of King William County. The Courthouse was used
during the colonial period to elect members of the House of Burgesses,
and it served as the designated polling place when the governor deemed
other elections were necessary. During the early stages of the American
Revolution, local patriots forming the county committee convened in the
King William County Courthouse, where Carter Braxton, committee chair
and future signer of the Declaration of Independence, received the news
of the Battles of Lexington and Concord.
The King William County Courthouse is considered the best preserved
of the Commonwealth's remaining colonial court buildings. The building
was listed in the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1959, the
Virginia Landmarks Register on November 5, 1968, and the National
Register of Historic Places on October 1, 1969. The King William County
Historical Museum and the King William Virginia 250 Planning Committee
will hold a celebration on April 12, 2025, commemorating the 300th
anniversary of the historic King William County Courthouse.
Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I ask that you rise with me in honoring The
King William County
[[Page E120]]
Courthouse on the anniversary of 300 years of continuous use.
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