Panola County - American Courthouses

Panola County is named for the Native American word for “cotton”.

Surrounding County and Parish Courthouses:

N – Harrison County

E – Caddo Parish, Louisiana and DeSoto Parish, Louisiana

S – Shelby County

W – Rusk County

Created: March 30, 1846

County Seat:

Carthage 1846 – present

County Courthouse – Carthage

Location: 110 South Sycamore Street / West Sabine Street

Built: 1952 – 1953

Style: Modern

Architect: Preston M Geren

Contractor: Eitze-Kitchens Construction Company

Description: The building faces east and is a two story white colored brick, glass and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Carthage. The east center section rises higher and projects forward. The windows on the second story form a horizontal band. The north and south corner sections project from the main building and have wide connected windows. The sections on either side of the center are recessed and have wide windows. The roof line is flat. On the northwest corner is the modern buff colored brick Judicial Center. To the east on North Shelby Street is the old County Jail built in 1891.

Note: The first courthouse was a log structure built in 1846. The second courthouse was also a log structure built at a cost of $200. The third courthouse was a wood frame structure built at a cost of $150. The fourth courthouse was a two story brick structure. The fifth courthouse was a Gothic structure designed by John Joseph Emmett Gibson and constructed by J M Brown in 1885 at a cost of $27,375.

County Judicial Center – Carthage

Location: 110 South Sycamore Street / West Sabine Street

Built: 2001 – 2003

Style: Modern

Architect: Burl R Richardson

Contractor: J E Kingham Construction Company

Description: The building faces east and is a three story red colored brick, glass and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Carthage on the northwest side of the courthouse. The east front has a large one story portico supported by brick pillars and having a green colored roof. Thin horizontal bands run above and below the windows. The roof line is flat. The County District Court courtrooms are located on the second story. The building houses the County District Court, Constitutional County Court, County Court at Law and County Justice Court of the 10th Administrative Judicial Region.