Chatham courthouse continues operations after fire

In the aftermath of a fire that nearly destroyed the Chatham County courthouse Thursday, the necessity of court operations leaves little time to mourn the loss of an iconic building.

Courthouse employees met Friday morning to discuss immediate needs for a functioning work schedule, said David Samuel Cooper, clerk of court for Chatham County.

While most essential records are still intact, Chatham County will have to rely heavily on Orange County in the coming weeks.

It was too soon to determine losses and plans for rebuilding, Cooper said.

Parts of the building were still burning Friday, Kost said.

The building’s loss will not affect the district court schedule, Superior Court Judge Allen Baddour said.

The Superior Court session scheduled to begin today is set for Wednesday in the Courthouse Annex building across the street, according to a news release by Jim Woodall, district attorney for Orange and Chatham counties.

“We’re not going to have jury trials in civil or criminal court for a couple weeks,” Baddour said.

The historic building housed the offices of the district attorney and superior court judges, Cooper said.

About 15 people worked in the courthouse, Baddour said.

Woodall is working out of the Courthouse Annex, while his staff has been relocated to offices in Hillsborough and Pittsboro, the news release said.

Courthouse officials were trying to find rental space for employees who lost offices as of Friday afternoon, said Sally Kost, Chatham County commissioner.

The N.C. Administrative Office of the Courts gave laptops on Friday to employees who lost theirs in the fire, Baddour said.

The Administrative Office of the Courts backs up court systems automatically, Baddour said.

“Every file I had on my old (laptop) is on my new one,” he said.

But the probation and district attorney’s offices were not so fortunate.

“The probation office has to work to create some or all of their files. And the district attorney’s office was hit hard,” he said. “Some of the evidence or reports they can get from police again, but all of it was lost.”

The building also housed the Chatham Historical Museum that contained old documents, photographs and books, Kost said.

“Our records were not affected one way or another,” said Cooper, whose office is located in the annex.

Chatham County staff will have to work with Orange County in accommodating courthouse employees and sharing the case load, Kost said.

Because Chatham and Orange counties share a court system, many of the employees are used to working at the courthouse in Hillsborough as well, Baddour said.

The courthouse, built in 1881, was undergoing renovations by Progressive Contracting Company Inc., a company that specializes in restoring historic buildings. Commissioners budgeted $488,000 for the renovations, Kost said.

“It’s like a death to our community when the town is centered around the courthouse,” Kost said.



City Editor Sarah Frier contributed reporting.

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.