Photo: Downtown Halifax (Houston) circa 1910

Halifax County was formed from Lunenburg in 1752, and the Town of Halifax has been the county seat since 1777. The courthouse town of Banister, named after the neighboring river, grew around the new courthouse. Called Banister Town during the Civil War, the town became Houston in 1890 to entice a new railroad, and after WWI changed its name to Halifax.

Most of the buildings in town have been in existence since the late 1890's, and new photos of the town look remarkably like historic ones;  the Historic album in the Photos section shows some angles from both historic and modern times.

The modern-day Town of Halifax has a bustling business community, including restaurants, technology companies, gift shops, professionals, and an Exchange Store that carries on the tradition of the original Exchange Store that opened in the same building in 1922.