Leasburg is a former town and the former county seat of Caswell County, North Carolina, United States. The community has a partial presence in

Person County Person County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 39,097 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The county seat is Roxboro, North Carolina, Roxboro. Person County is inc ...

. The population was 1,662 at the 2010 census. It was named in honor of longtime resident William Lea and is located along

US 158 U.S. Route 158 (US 158) is an east–west United States highway that runs for from Mocksville, North Carolina, Mocksville to Whalebone Junction, North Carolina, Whalebone Junction in Nags Head, North Carolina, Nags Head, entirely in the ...

and

NC 119 North Carolina Highway 119 (NC 119) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Route description It runs from NC 54 in Swepsonville north via Mebane, Hightowers, and Semora to the Virginia state line, whe ...

near Hyco Lake. Leasburg is also the name of a Caswell County township.

History

When Caswell County was created in 1777, the area that would become Leasburg was named as the county seat; however, a county

courthouse A courthouse or court house is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English-spe ...

was not built on the site until 1784, after the American Revolutionary War. When the area around the courthouse began to develop, the community decided to incorporate. The town of Leasburg was officially recognized by the

North Carolina General Assembly The North Carolina General Assembly is the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Government of North Carolina, State government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the North Carolina Senate, Senate and the North Ca ...

in 1788. When the eastern section of Caswell County split and became

, a more geographically central location for the Caswell county seat was needed; so, in 1792 the courthouse was moved to an area which became known as "Caswell Court House", which later changed its name to

Yanceyville Yanceyville is a town in and the county seat of Caswell County, North Carolina, United States. Located in the Piedmont Triad region of the state, the town had a population of 1,937 at the 2020 census. The settlement was founded in 1792 and was l ...

. Leasburg continued to develop after the courthouse relocation and eventually became known as the regional center for education. Numerous mills, factories, and farms prospered in the town until competition nearby from Durham doomed the area's tobacco industry. The Civil War left Leasburg in ruin, although many antebellum residences still remain. Famous former residents of Leasburg include Solomon Lea, the son of William Lea and the first president of Greensboro College, and Jacob Thompson, who served under President

James Buchanan James Buchanan Jr. ( ; April 23, 1791June 1, 1868) was an American lawyer, diplomat and politician who served as the 15th president of the United States from 1857 to 1861. He previously served as secretary of state from 1845 to 1849 and repr ...

Secretary of the Interior Secretary of the Interior may refer to: * Secretary of the Interior (Mexico) * Interior Secretary of Pakistan * Secretary of the Interior and Local Government (Philippines) * United States Secretary of the Interior See also

*Interior ministry ...

. Leasburg was also the birthplace of the short-lived

Piedmont blues Piedmont blues (also known as East Coast, or Southeastern blues) refers primarily to a guitar style, which is characterized by a fingerpicking approach in which a regular, alternating thumb bass string rhythmic pattern supports a syncopated melo ...

musician,

Carolina Slim Edward P. Harris (August 22, 1923 – October 22, 1953), known as Carolina Slim, was an American Piedmont blues guitarist and singer. His best-known records are "Black Cat Trail" and "I'll Never Walk in Your Door". He used various pseudonyms dur ...

. The

Garland-Buford House Garland-Buford House is a historic home located near Leasburg, Caswell County, North Carolina. It was built in 1877, and is a large two-story, rectangular Victorian frame house, three bays wide and two deep. It is set on a full raised basement ...

and

James Malone House James Malone House is a historic home located near Leasburg, Caswell County, North Carolina. It was built in 1861, and is a two-story, three bays wide, Italianate style frame house on a brick foundation. It has a hipped roof and features a two- ...

are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Caswell County Speedway

Caswell County Speedway was once in operation in Leasburg and offered dirt track kart racing. The 1/5 mile track's ruins are still present and can be seen from Solomon Lea Road.

Nearby communities and municipalities

Milton Milton may refer to: Names * Milton (surname), a surname (and list of people with that surname) ** John Milton (1608–1674), English poet * Milton (given name) ** Milton Friedman (1912–2006), Nobel laureate in Economics, author of '' Free t ...

* Prospect Hill *

Roxboro Roxboro is the name of several places: *Roxboro, Quebec, now part of the Pierrefonds-Roxboro borough of Montreal, Quebec, Canada * Roxboro, North Carolina, United States of America *Roxboro, Limerick, a townland in Co Limerick, Ireland *Roxboro, Ca ...

* Semora

References

External links

Leasburg History

{{authority control Populated places in Caswell County, North Carolina Populated places in Person County, North Carolina Unincorporated communities in North Carolina Populated places established in 1777 Former county seats in North Carolina