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GREENSBORO - Next year, the search could resume for Guilford County's long lost courthouse.

Officials at the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park hope to conduct an archaeological dig to find remains of the building that gave the place its name.

The last courthouse, one of two erected at the site, disappeared some time after the county seat moved to Greensboro in 1809.

"We would really like to know where it is and interpret the location where it stood," said Charles Cranfield, the park superintendent. "It's the namesake for the (Revolutionary War) battle."

For that reason alone, the courthouse would rank as one of the city's most historic sites.

On March 15, 1781, it served as the American army headquarters during the battle that pitted the forces of Gen. Nathanael Greene against those of Lord Charles Cornwallis. After the battle, it served as a field hospital.

Park officials say the proposed dig also may turn up the graves of American and British soldiers killed in the fighting.

The search will cost $80,000 and will include an archaeological field school sponsored by UNCG.

To finance the project, park officials have applied for $40,000 from a federal program that will combine public and private funds to benefit the nation's parks between now and the system's 100th anniversary in 2016.

The rest of the money will be matched by the Guilford Battleground Co., a local park support group.

Park officials probably won't know until next spring whether the federal money will be available.

"We're in a tough time," Cranfield said. "I suspect there will be cutbacks on federal programs ... (But) if it is based on the strength of the proposal, it's a very good possibility."

Only one other archaeological search has ever been conducted for the courthouse. That one, which ran from 1972 to 1975, turned up a road and other buildings but no evidence of the court structure.

Park officials say the courthouse stood near historic New Garden Road, about 100 yards west of present-day Lawndale Drive. A marker gives park visitors its general location.

Records show that the first courthouse, a plank structure, was completed in 1773 or 1774. Five other buildings, including a jail and a tavern, stood around it.

By the time of the battle, the Guilford Courthouse community boasted about 50 families. Later, it became known as Martinville.

The county built a second courthouse, this one of brick, in 1792.

Over the years, Guilford Courthouse hosted some impressive visitors. In 1787-88, Andrew Jackson, the future president, lived on or near the battlefield and practiced law at the courthouse. In 1791, President George Washington visited the scene of the fighting.

Park officials say finding the courthouse would help them more accurately locate where troops were positioned during the battle. For example, one of the American lines was anchored at the building.

"We've been doing a lot of research of the documents," said park historian John Durham. "To actually move toward ... trying to find the courthouse, I just think it is an exciting phase to be entering."

Tradition has it that the courthouse may have been dismantled by area residents after the county seat moved to Greensboro. Even so, park officials believe that the foundation of the building still exists. They say it's just a matter of getting enough money to search for it.

"Sooner or later, we will come up with the funds necessary to pin down the location," said Jim Kirkpatrick, chairman of the board of the Guilford Battleground Co. "I think that will be an important historical note for Greensboro. It will put to rest a lot of questions."

Contact Donald W. Patterson at 373-7027 or don.patterson@news-record.com