CHARLOTTE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Dickson County Courthouse has stood tall in Charlotte for nearly two centuries.

“It’s almost like the U.S. Capitol, or the White House, or the Lincoln Memorial, everyone knows this is iconic, not only in Dickson County, but this region," said Dickson County Mayor Bob Rial.

Rial said the building was the oldest operating courthouse in Tennessee until 2020, which is when Dickson County opened a new justice center down the street. Now, county leaders are working to reclaim that title by renovating the building, inside and out.

“It’s pretty much determined that Dickson is the economic engine, Burns and White Bluff are nice bedroom communities, and the spirit and soul of Charlotte is — business is government," Rial added. "We took that up 15 years ago by making improvements here on the square, where, this is our industry, and this is what Charlotte does."

Dickson County's first courthouse was built in 1807, three years after Charlotte was designated as the county seat. Over the years, its logs were replaced by bricks, but the building was destroyed by a tornado in 1830.

“The county was really quick to get back on their feet and start reconstruction, even in 1830, with the completion being done in 1833," Rial told News 2.

The new courtroom that was rebuilt after the tornado is still standing. Roughly 100 years after its reconstruction, east and west wings were added to make room for general sessions and major cases.

“Regardless of if you have a traffic ticket or murder, you start here. So, everything’s been through this," Rial said.

Although the building has sat vacant for the past few years since the opening of the new justice center, Rial said work is currently underway to make it operational again.

Work to stabilize the exterior of the building will wrap up this month, then renovations will begin on the interior, he said. The updates will make the building more ADA complaint, while still preserving the building's historical nature.

Rial even pointed out some unique elements of the courtroom, like a bullet hole in one of the first benches and a mismatched window.

“You can see they cut a small window there that doesn’t match the rest, we had a prisoner decide to jump down those two and a half stories and run off!” he recalled.

To avoid additional wear and tear on the building, going forward the courthouse will only be used for ceremonial proceedings like child adoptions and swearing-in ceremonies, according to Rial. There will also be an interactive museum where visitors can learn more about the building and the history of Charlotte.

“I’ll even do a wedding! If you know someone who needs a wedding, I’ll do it for them up there," Rial said with a laugh.

Rial hopes the renovations will be finished by July 2026, in time for the United States' 250th birthday, the building's own anniversary in 2030 and the end of his term as mayor next September.

“I do feel a bit of pressure trying to get this sped up, because I’d like to see the end of it before I go. But if I don’t, I know the county is committed to moving forward with this project," he added.

According to Rial, the goal of this work is not only to reinstate the building's title as the oldest operational courthouse in Tennessee, but also to keep the building standing for another 200 years.

“It’s an important symbol of what this community is, and what we want to continue to be," he concluded.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/on-tour-middle-tn/oldest-working-courthouse-in-tennessee-to-undergo-renovations-in-dickson-county/