The Courthouse Township of Camden is located approximately in the middle of the County of Camden. First known as Plank Bridge, George Washington made it a "port of entry" on Sawyer's Creek in 1790 and appointed Isaac Gregory its first Collector of Customs. Plank Bridge soon became a port of considerable maritime activity and the community grew. Joseph Jones attempted to establish a town there called Jonesboro. Wharves and warehouses dotted Sawyer's Creek but the town was doomed to failure as ships became larger and required deeper water; thus, a new develpment was started at the Narrows. The town of Redding, later called Elizabeth City, replaced Jonesboro as the commercial center of the Albemarle.
With the formation of Camden County in 1777, the local government met at Joseph Jones home located in the center of the county. The county later purchased land in front of his home from Thomas Sawyer and built a courthouse, jail and stocks in 1782. As Jonesboro decline, the area was called Camden and soon became the focal point of the county as the seat of government and schools were located there. Camden has built 3 courthouses (1782, 1847 and an annex in 1997 [and an addition to the Register of Deeds in 2007]) and 3 jails (1782, ?, and 1910). Today, Camden utilizes the tri-county jail in Pasquotank to house its prisoners. The jail house, built in 1910, on the grounds of the Camden Courthouse has been restored and now houses the Board of Elections Office on the first floor and a museum on the second floor which showcases some of Camden's History.