Calloway County - American Courthouses

Calloway County is named for Richard Callaway, who was a pioneer and who lived from 1724 to 1780.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Marshall County

E – Trigg County and Stewart County, Tennessee

S – Henry County, Tennessee

W – Graves County

Created: December 19, 1821

County Seat:

Wadesboro 1822 – 1843

Murray 1843 – present

County Courthouse – Murray

Location: 104 North 5th Street / Main Street

Built: 1913 – 1914

Style: Classic Revival

Architect: Andrew J Bryan of Atlanta, Georgia

Contractor: Falls Construction Company of Louisville

Description: The building faces east and is a three story buff colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on the landscaped grounds of Courthouse Square in the center of Murray. On the east front is a large recessed portico supported by four large white colored Ionic columns rising to the pediment at the roof. There are similar recessed porticos on all sides of the building. A protruding cornice surrounds the building below the roofline. On the center of the roof is a large white colored octagonal cupola with clock at the dome roof. In the interior, there are the iron staircase bannisters and marble wainscoting. The first story has a cross-hall plan. The former second story courtroom has been converted into office space.

Note: The courthouse was built by funds secured by an odd example of election tampering. When the old courthouse was destroyed by fire in 1906 a vote was held to pass a bond to fund a new facility, but failed its first two times on the ballot. The third vote was scheduled for the first Tuesday in November 1912, and after it was discovered the votes again fell short of the two-thirds needed for it to pass, the county clerk announced he made an error in counting and the bond actually passed. The cost of construction was $49,679.

See: The architect, Andrew J Bryan, designed the courthouses in Alabama in Coffee County, Lee County and Monroe County; in Georgia in Colquitt County, Pulaski County and Stewart County; in Kentucky in Bracken County and Mercer County; in Louisiana in Pointe Coupee Parish; in Mississippi in Attala County and Simpson County; and in Texas in Rains County.

See: The contractor Falls City Construction Company of Louisville, Kentucky

See: National Register of Historic Places – Calloway County Courthouse

County Judicial Building – Murray

Location: 312 North 4th Street / Olive Street

Built: 1997 – 1998

Style: Modern

Architect: Architecture Plus, Inc. of Georgetown

Contractor: Jim Woodrum of Architecture Plus, Inc. of Georgetown

Description: The building faces west and is a two story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped ground on the north side of the center of Murray. The west front has a portico supported by four white colored columns rising to a pediment at the flat roof line. In the interior, the Circuit Court courtroom is located at the center of the second story and the District Court courtroom is located at the center of the first story. The building houses the County Circuit Court and County District Court of the 42nd Judicial Circuit.

Old County Courthouse – Murray

Location: Central Park

Built: 1823

Style: Log Cabin

Architect: Unknown

Contractor: Unknown

Description: The building faces east and is located in the center of Central Park to the north of the center of Murray.. The building was constructed in Wadesboro and served as the courthouse until 1831. Constructed of logs, the roof is hipped. The building was moved when Murray became the county seat. The cost of construction was $100.

See: The 42nd Judicial Circuit includes Marshall County.

History: The county was created in 1821 and Wadesboro was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a log cabin structure built in 1823, now located in a park in Murray. The county seat was moved to Murray in 1843. The second courthouse was built in 1843. The courthouse burned in 1906 and court was held in a building on the south side of the square until the third and present courthouse was constructed in 1913 at a cost of 49,679. The County Judicial Building was constructed in 1997 to 1998.