It’s an event that still stuns more than 100 years later. Gunfire erupted at the Carroll County Courthouse in March 1912. When it stopped, five people were dead, including the sheriff and Commonwealth’s Attorney.
A statement by defendant Floyd Allen was the start of a gunfight that would forever change Carroll County.
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“He stood up and said, ‘Gentlemen, I ain’t goin,’” said Ron Hall, a historian and genealogist with the Carroll County Historical Society and Museum.
Allen was being sentenced for roughing up a sheriff’s deputy after snatching two of his nephews from custody.
Hall has written three books on the event.
“Floyd was there with his two sons, three nephews, and his brother. And the local sheriff had five deputies in the room, all armed. So was the prosecutor and the clerk of court,” Hall said.
A diorama on display at the museum depicts the scene inside the courtroom.
To this day, it remains unclear who fired the first shot — whether it was Floyd Allen’s son, the sheriff, or someone else.
WSLS revisited the question in 1988, speaking to townspeople who said the Allens were involved in some long-running feuds.
“There’s still two sides to it till even today. Even though it will be well 76 years, they still got their own opinion more or less,” said William White, who was courthouse custodian at the time of the interview.
“I think most people who were attending court that morning were expecting some trouble. There had been talk around the county for several days before the trial. I think they were expecting trouble,” said Gooch Harmon, a Hillsville resident.
In the end, the sheriff, Commonwealth’s Attorney, a witness, the judge, and a juror were all killed. Seven people were wounded, including Floyd Allen.
A detective agency hired by the governor following the sheriff’s death tracked Allen down the next day. But it took months to capture Allen’s brother and nephew.
Floyd Allen and his son Claude were sentenced to death. Other members of the Allen clan received prison sentences but were later pardoned by two governors in the 1920s.
The case made national headlines for weeks, only displaced by the sinking of the Titanic a month later.
“In Hillsville, of course, it was the most famous thing that ever happened here. Actually, the town has always been a little bit ashamed of it,” Hall said.
After more than 113 years, people still come here to see for themselves where the massacre happened. It’s still considered one of the worst courthouse shootings in Virginia history.