I pulled this ready list of NC courthouse fires from an article written by Sonya Braxton this past fall on destroyed Indian files / deeds by Courthouse fires. The article included this list of NC Courthouse fires. Could you imagine the court house fire numbers if we took a look at each states record of courthouse fires?

North Carolina Courthouse Fire Records: *Alleghany County Courthouse - 1932 (fire, record loss) *Alexander County Courthouse - 1865 (civil war, record loss), 1967 (fire) *Anson County Courthouse - 1868 (fire) *Ashe County Courthouse - 1865 (fire, records fragmented) *Bladen County Courthouse - 1770 (fire), 1800 (fire), 1893 (fire) *Brunswick County Courthouse - 1865 (civil war, record loss), 1957 (clerk's office fire) *Buncombe County Courthouse - 1830 (fire), 1865 (fire) *Burke County Courthouse - 1865 (civil war, record loss) *Cabarrus County Courthouse - 1876 (fire) *Cherokee County Courthouse - 1865 (fire), 1895 (fire), 1926 (fire) *Chowan County Courthouse - 1848 (records destroyed by acting clerk) *Clay County Courthouse - 1870 (fire, records destroyed) *Craven County Courthouse - 1712 (records destroyed, whites claimed by Indians, ***doubtful) *Currituck County Courthouse - 1842 (fire) *Davidson County Courthouse - 1866 (fire) *Gaston County Courthouse - 1874 (fire) *Greene County Courthouse - 1876 (fire) *Guilford County Courthouse - 1781 (fire), 1872 (fire) *Harnett County Courthouse - 1892 (fire), 1894 (fire) *Haywood County Courthouse - 1932 (records destroyed in move to new courthouse) *Hertford County Courthouse - 1830 (fire), 1822 (fire) *Hyde County Courthouse - 1789 (fire), 1827 (fire) *Iredell County Courthouse - 1854 (fire) *Jackson County Courthouse - 1913 (records lost when county seat moved) *Jones County Courthouse - 1862 (fire) 'Courthouse was burned during Civil War battle, many court records destroyed. *Lenoir County Courthouse - 1878 (fire), 1880 (fire) Most court records were destroyed *Lincoln County Courthouse - 1797 (records may have been destroyed by fire in private home) *Martin County Courthouse - 1862 (fire) 'Courthouse fire destroyed many court records. *Mitchell County Courthouse - 1907 (some records destroyed in move to new courthouse) *Montgomery County Courthouse - 1835 (fire), 1840 (fire), 1886 (may have suffered record loss from courthouse fire. The clerk said that he saved the records but that they were "in a state of great confusion.") *Moore County Courthouse - 1889 (fire) Courthouse fire destroyed most of the land records and many court records *New Hanover County Courthouse - 1789, 1819 & 1840 (all 3 courthouse fires may have destroyed some records) *Onslow County Courthouse - 1752 & 1755 (records destroyed by storm) *Orange County Courthouse - 1781 (records destroyed when buried in woods to avoid capture or destruction by Cornwallis) *Pitt County Courthouse - 1857 (fire) Courthouse fire destroyed most of the court records. *Rowan County Courthouse - 1865 (civil war, record loss) records were destroyed by Federal troops *Rutherford County Courthouse - 1907 (fire) *Sampson County Courthouse - 1921 (clerk's office fire) Some early court records are missing because of Federal sympathizers in 1865; Clerk's office fire in 1921. Early deed books of Duplin County prior to 1784 *Swain County Courthouse - 1879 Courthouse fire destroyed many records and on January 7, 1908 the Courthouse was burned by rioters. No records were saved *Wake County Courthouse - Several deed books were destroyed in register's office fire in 1832. *Warren County Courthouse - 1935 (Some early County records may have been destroyed) County Court Records from abt 1814 - 1823 are missing There is a loss of records for around the 1935 time period. Deed Books 15 and 16, 1799-1803, are missing from the court house and from the NC Archives. *Washington County Courthouse - County records destroyed by bombardment in Civil War in 1862. Fires have destroyed most of the court records and many of the land records in 1869 and 1881. *Watauga County Courthouse - Courthouse fire in 1873 destroyed all of the land records and most of the court records. *Wayne County Courthouse - 1781 (records may have been destroyed in courthouse fire)