Carroll County Courthouse

The Carroll County Courthouse served as a meeting place for Union sympathizers as tensions ran high during the war.

The Courthouse was built in 1838 and is still in use today. A simple but dignified structure, it serves as a good example of ante-bellum Greek architectural style, with its heavy columns and monumental portico. The courthouse with its high-flying Union flag was an important focal point for Carroll County Unionists during the war, making it an attractive target for Confederate forces. To protect the flag while Confederate general J.E.B. Stuart was passing through town on June 29, 1863, Abraham Huber, clerk of the court, took down the flag flying from the courthouse cupola and locked it in the vault in the clerk’s office.  Gen. Stuart ordered Capt. John Esten Cooke and some of his men to retrieve the flag.  The detail broke into the vault and removed the flag which they presented to Stuart.  The flag had been made by 13 local women, organized by Huber’s wife, Mollie, who had signed their names on the stars.