The North Carolina General Assembly created a special commission in 1799 to found a county seat for Ashe County. The commission purchased 50 acres (200,000 m²) of land to form the town of Jeffersonton, later named Jefferson. It is one of the first towns in the nation to bear the name of Thomas Jefferson, who was the vice president of the United States in 1799.^[6]

The Ashe County Courthouse and Poe Fish Weir are listed on the National Register of Historic Places