Born of Orange County in 1777 during the American Revolutionary War, Caswell County was named in honor of
Richard Caswell (1729-1789), delegate to the first Continental Congress, first governor of North Carolina after the Declaration of Independence, and Major General in the Revolutionary Army. The county lies in the
north central section of North Carolina and is bounded by Person, Orange, Alamance, and Rockingham counties, and to the north by the Commonwealth of Virginia. The first permanent county seat was established at
Leasburg in 1783. After 1792, when Person County was carved from Caswell County, the county seat was moved to a location nearer the center of the county. This site, first simply called Caswell Court House, later was
named
Yanceyville in honor of
Bartlett Yancey (1785-1828). Go to
Caswell County History for a more comprehensive historical overview.
