Area Information/History

Chatham County | Pittsboro | Chatham County Courthouse

Chatham County History

Located in the geographic center of the state, Chatham county covers 707 square miles of gently rolling hills, abundant cropland and pastureland, and friendly communities.

It is flanked on the north by Alamance, Orange and Durham counties; on the south by Lee and Moore counties; with the Deep and Cape Fear Rivers; on the west by Randolph county; on the east by Wake and Harnett counties.  It's three main rivers...The Deep, Haw and Rocky...unite to form the upper Cape Fear River near the southeastern part of the county.

The first settlers arrived in the area between 1745 and 1750 and established homes near the rivers.  By 1760, the area was becoming populated, and in 1771, the decision was made to break away from southern Orange county.  According to "Chatham County: 1771-1791", the reason for this decision was : "The extent of the county of Orange rendered the attendance of the inhabitants of the southern part to do public duties extremely difficult and expensive."

Chatham county was named for William Pitt, Earl of Chatham (1708-1778), the English Secretary of State who opposed the strong measures England used against the American colonies just before the Revolutionary War.

The county seat of Chatham county, Pittsboro, was established by legislative act on January 6, 1787.

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Pittsboro

Pittsboro was incorporated in 1787, although since 1771 courts of various types had met in its near vicinity.

Statistic & Facts

The population of Pittsboro is approximately 2082.

The approximate number of families is 638.

The amount of land area in Pittsboro is 6.257 sq. kilometers.

The amount of surface water is 0.054 sq. kilometers.

The distance from Pittsboro to Washington DC is 251 statute miles.

The distance to the North Caroline state capital is 30 statute miles.

Pittsboro is positioned 35.71 degrees north of the equator and 79.17 degrees west of the prime meridian.

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Chatham County Courthouse

Designed by a local lawyer after the roof blew off the earlier building during a trial, this is the fourth courthouse built in the county since 1771.  A confederate monument erected in 1907 is featured at the northern entrance to the courthouse.  Old-timers say that as children they tossed "Co' Cola" bottle caps from the balcony of the courthouse, competing to get the bottle caps to stay in the brim of the soldier's hat.

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