About

Completed in 1812 to serve the 1783 Pittsylvania courthouse, the former clerk's office is the oldest public building in the town of Chatham. Built to be the chief repository of the county's official records, it served from 1813 to 1852 under the charges of William Tunstall, Jr. and his son William H. Tunstall who succeeded him as clerk in 1836. The simple brick structure lost its original intended function in 1853 with the construction of the present county courthouse, which accommodated a new clerk's office. A demolished one-room addition of 1833 was reconstructed when the building was restored by the Pittsylvania County Historical Society in 1987-89. The building is now used as the society's museum and meeting place.