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Photo of the Pike County Courthouse from the summer of 1894 courtesy of the Sesquicentennial History of Pike County (1822 - 1972). This courthouse was removed when the present courthouse was built in 1895. The clocktower was originally in the center of the structure but was struck by lightning and moved to its current placement on the south side of the building.
Photo of the Pike County Courthouse from the 1950's courtesy of the Sesquicentennial History of Pike County (1822 - 1972). Note the small trees all around the square. (Large photos are on the Pike County Times FB page.)
Photo of the Pike County Courthouse in 1970 courtesy of the Sesquicentennial History of Pike County (1822 - 1972).
Photo of the Pike County Courthouse in 1972 courtesy of the Sesquicentennial History of Pike County (1822 - 1972).
A 30 foot addition was added to the 11,000 square foot courthouse in 2012. Photos of the renovation can be seen here: pikecountytimes.com/secondary/SPLOSTupdate12.11.12.html
Current photo of the trees around the courthouse square.
Current photo of the trees around the courthouse square.
Current photo of the trees around the courthouse square.
Current photo of the trees around the courthouse square.
Current photo of the trees around the courthouse square.
By Editor Becky Watts
ZEBULON - Trees on the courthouse square have been a topic of discussion many times over the years. Commissioners discussed the trees in last night’s County Commission meeting and made a decision to remove the oaks and maple tree from the courthouse square.
There are four magnolia trees on the square with one on each side of the square. Chairman Johnson mentioned that there could be history with the magnolias that commissioners should look into before making a decision to remove them.
Commissioners made a compromise to deal with the issue. The magnolia trees will remain while the rest are removed.
History
The magnolia trees on the square have been here a very long time. Pike County Times does not have a definitive history on those and would be happy to add it to this article, but the Sesquicentennial History of Pike County (1822 - 1972) had some photos and history that can be added to this conversation.
Photos of the Pike County Courthouse are included in this history book that show an aerial view of the Pike County Courthouse in Zebulon from around 1950 that show many young trees around the entire courthouse square. Photos from 1970 and 1972 show large trees growing in front of the south side of the courthouse. (Photos will be uploaded onto the Pike County Facebook page along with this article so they can be viewed in a larger format.)
The eight oak trees and one maple tree were planted after the pecan trees were removed from the courthouse square in July of 2015. At that time, the eleven pecan trees were in poor health and dropping limbs on vehicles. Falling limbs broke the windshields of two county employees.
Photos of the square and removal of the pecan trees in 2015 can be viewed at: www.pikecountytimes.com/secondary/courthouse7.17.15.html.
Discussion of the pruning and maintenance of the trees was held on April 29, 2025. At that time, the Building and Grounds Director advised commissioners that the trees needed to be pruned to keep things looking nice as well as allowing the security cameras around the courthouse to do their job well.
It was also noted that the Bermuda grass is not able to grow because the grass needs sunlight, and the shade from the trees has affected its growth. The oak trees have grown fast since they were planted.
The drip line around the bottom of the oak trees has reached out even farther than the trees themselves making it difficult for grass to grow and leaving a large area of red clay on much of the courthouse square. And without grass to hold the red clay and dirt when it rains, the dirt and clay wash down on the sidewalks whenever the square gets a hard rain.
Sometimes the lava rocks get washed onto the sidewalks making the rocks a hazard to those who walk on the sidewalks around the courthouse. It was noted that the lava rocks stay around the bottom of the magnolia trees.
Three options were presented at that time. The first was to trim the bottom five or six limbs of the oak trees and resod the ground, the second was to remove the trees and maybe save the grass, and the third was to leave things alone for now. No decision was made at that time so the trees all remained on the courthouse square and grew another year taller. But the issues from the trees have not gone away.
Closing
Discussion of the trees was held again at last night’s meeting. Estimates were updated from last year that included the magnolias, oaks, and a maple tree on the square.
One person sent a letter to the commissioners urging them to leave the trees. That letter was read in part at the meeting so commissioners could hear this plea. Input was given to at least one commissioner through an online discussion on social media as well.
It was noted in the meeting that this was discussed last year and that the commissioners were opposed to removing the trees at that time, but it was also said that the trees are only getting bigger.
The trees are blocking the county wi-fi and causing safety issues on the north side of the square. It was also noted that the leaves are a mess to deal with along with mud and lava rocks washing from the square onto the sidewalks when it rains.
The commissioners expressed regret at removing all of the trees and made a compromise to leave the magnolias while removing the rest of the trees from the courthouse square for now. The decision to reseed or sod the lawn will be discussed after the trees have been removed. The decision was unanimous.
The work was awarded to Boss Tree Service in the amount of $12,000. The idea is for the company to do one side of the courthouse square at a time and work around the court schedule. It was suggested that some of the work could be done on Saturdays.
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