After Charlotte County was established in 1921, there was a need for a County Courthouse. The original building was constructed in 1928 on land sold to the county by George Brown.
George Brown, an African-American and proprietor of the Cleveland Marine Steam Way, sold the property to the County for $25,000 which was considered a bargain during the Florida land boom of the 1920's. The building cost $200,000. It was built and designed by Architects Leitner & Henson of St. Petersburg in a neo-classical style to provide a stately appearance for official business. A second floor housed a jail with living quarters and a kitchen for the jailer's family. A balcony in the courtroom accommodated African-American spectators as segregation was a way of life when the building was erected.
The new courthouse building was dedicated on Thursday, March 20, 1928, in a ceremony beginning at 8:00 p.m. The first term of the circuit court in the new building began with Circuit Judge George W. Whitehurst presiding, State Attorney Guy M. Strayhorn prosecuting.
The courthouse provided adequate space until 1963 when a wrap-around structure was added creating a total of 60,000 square feet. Building additions wrapped around three sides, including the front where the columns and a non-functioning clock were replaced with modern brick. A 4-story addition was linked to the back of the original building by ramps and stairs, and a 2-story section was built for the Sheriff's Office near Taylor Street.
By the 1990s, the county had once again outgrown the facility. An all-new Justice Center, located off Marion Avenue, was opened in 1999.
(Much of the information regarding the Old Courthouse was obtained from detailed scrapbooks and records assembled by Gussie Baker, now archived at Punta Gorda History Center and accessible online through the center's website.)
