Loudoun County to Designate Charles Hamilton Houston Courthouse September 9

Loudoun County encourages members of the community to celebrate the naming of the historic Loudoun County Courthouse as the Charles Hamilton Houston Courthouse at a ceremony Monday, September 9, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. The event will take place on the grounds of the Loudoun County Courthouse Complex at 18 East Market St. in Leesburg.

Following a recommendation from the county's Heritage Commission, the Board of Supervisors approved the naming of the historic courthouse in honor of the celebrated civil rights attorney in 2023 (PDF). Members of the Board of Supervisors and other dignitaries representing Houston's life and work will speak during the ceremony, prior to the unveiling of a courthouse sign featuring the new name.

The Heritage Commission's recommendation highlighted Houston's work on the nationally significant 1933 trial of George Crawford, which took place at the courthouse. Houston, who was the dean of Howard University's Law School and legal counsel to the NAACP, led an all-Black legal team assembled by the NAACP to defend Crawford, who was accused of murdering two white women in Middleburg. The case brought national attention to the issue of all-white juries, facilitated widespread recognition of the abilities of Black lawyers and laid important groundwork in the NAACP's campaign to use federal constitutional law to dismantle racial segregation.

The case is considered so pivotal to the emergence of the civil rights movement and civil rights law that Loudoun County is seeking National Historic Landmark status for the courthouse based on the event. Earlier this year, the National Park Service's National Historic Landmarks Committee recommended that the nomination for National Historic Landmark status be referred to the National Park System Advisory Board for consideration. Action on the nomination is expected by the end of 2024.

The courthouse will be open to the public after the ceremony with documents from the Crawford case on display.

More Information

# # #