McCracken County is named for Virgil McCracken, who was a military captain killed at the Battle of River Raisin.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Massac County, Illinois
E – Livingston County and Marshall County
S – Graves County
W – Ballard County
Created: December 17, 1824
County Seat:
Wilmington 1825 – 1832
Paducah 1832 – present
County Courthouse – Paducah
Location: 301 South 6th Street / Washington Street
Built: 1940 – 1943
Style: Colonial Revival
Architect: S Lester Daly
Contractor: Ray Black & Son
Description: The building faces northwest and is a two story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on spacious landscaped grounds in the center of Paducah. The northwest front has a large portico supported by four large columns rising to the pediment at the roof with clock in the center. The entrance is framed with light colored stone trim. The building extends north and south with a recessed central section with main entrance on the southwest side. The addition on the southeast is two stories. On the center of the roof is an octagonal cupola with glass windows and a green colored dome. The building was a Works Projects Administration project. The roof line is flat. In the interior are wide hallways and stairs. There are three County Circuit Court courtrooms on the second story and two County District Court courtrooms on the first story. The building houses the County Circuit Court and the County District Court of the 2nd Judicial Circuit. An addition was constructed on the southeast side in 1996 to 1997. The architect was Peck Flannery Gream Warren Inc. and the contractor was B H Green & Son Inc. On the northwest is the one story buff colored brick County Courthouse Annex.
History: The county was created in 1824 and Wilmington was selected as the county seat in 1825. The first courthouse was erected in 1829. The county seat was moved to Paducah in 1832. The second courthouse was a square brick structure was built at Second Street and Broadway in 1832. The third courthouse was designed by Stanciff and Vodges and constructed by John F Hendren in 1857. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1940 to 1943 at a cost of $344,919.
County Courthouse – Paducah
County Circuit Court courtroom
County District Court courtroom
County Courthouse Annex – Paducah
Photos taken 2007, 2012 and 2024
Images 23*