FullTryon County Courthouse
Behind the state historical marker stood the log cabin of Christian “Christy” Mauney, built in 1770. It doubled as a courthouse for Tryon County, formed the year before and named for Royal Gov. William Tryon. Quarterly court sessions were held here from 1774–83 (though they were sometimes held in other homes around the county). In those days courts were also the county governments. “In this court deeds and wills were probated, estates settled, land entries recorded, guardians appointed, orphans apprenticed, highways opened, overseers appointed, and many other matters attended to.”[1]
One room of the house was supposedly used as the jail, mostly to hold people until trial: Criminal cases in those days rarely resulted in jail terms. For example, a man convicted of a low-value theft in one of the first trials held here was sentenced to, “‘at the hour of one o’clock… on his bare back at the public whipping post receive thirty-nine lashes well laid on.’” But convictions for cursing in public, working on the Christian sabbath day, or failing to maintain part of a public road all resulted in fines.[b]
