Loudoun County Courthouse To Be Renamed For Civil Rights Attorney Charles Hamilton Houston

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — The Loudoun County courthouse will soon bear a new name. The Board of Supervisors approved a motion on Tuesday that would rename the historic courthouse in honor of civil rights attorney Charles Hamilton Houston.

The courthouse itself will be renamed for Houston, while the broader collection of building will be known as the "Loudoun County Courthouse Complex."

County supervisors began the renaming process in 2019. The board-appointed Heritage Commission recommended the courthouse be named for Houston, who was the Litigation Director for the NAACP before his death in 1950.

Houston also defended George Crawford in 1933. Crawford was a Black man who was accused of killing two white women in Middleburg. Houston and an all-Black legal team presented a defense case to an all-white jury.

Though Crawford was convicted, he was spared the death penalty and instead sentenced to life in prison. Mitch Diamond, who works to preserve Loudoun's history, credited Crawford and his team with shedding a light on the racist jury selection process.

“This naming process has been ongoing since 2019; the county worked to include members of the public and the Heritage Commission," Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis Randall said. “Having the very courthouse where Charles Hamilton Houston fully displayed the ability of Black lawyers—against all odds—to prevail against de-jure segregation through the courts is something that every Loudoun resident can be proud of."

In 2020, Loudoun County officials began seeking National Landmark status for the courthouse. County employees said they expect the National Park Service to add the courthouse to the list of National Historic Landmarks by the end of the year.

Construction is still ongoing at the courthouse. In a news release, the county noted that the courthouse's expansion should be completed by autumn 2023. The county will host a virtual update on the project on March 29 at 6 p.m.