Spencer County is named for Spears Spenser, who was a military captain killed at the Battle of Tippecanoe.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Shelby County
E – Anderson County
S – Nelson County
W – Bullitt County and Jefferson County
Created: January 7, 1824
County Seat:
Taylorsville 1824 – present
County Courthouse – Taylorsville
Location: 2 West Main Street / Main Cross Street
Built: 1915 – 1916
Style: Beaux Arts / Classical Revival
Architect: General Construction Company of Louisville
Contractor: Gasway W Bowles of Louisville
Description: The building faces south and is a two story dark red colored brick and stone structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Taylorsville. The south front has a large portico with four large white colored Roman Ionic columns rising to a pediment at the roof line. The rectangular shaped building has a raised basement. The roof is hipped. The interior is relatively intact with original wall and floor finishes in halls, some original half-glazed doors, original vaults, and a second floor courtroom with a historic balustrade and paneled partition. The balcony in the courtroom has been sealed off. On the west side is a large addition built in 1974 with brown colored brick construction and connected to the old People’s Bank Building built in 1903. Behind the courthouse is the old jail constructed in 1922.
County Courthouse Annex – Taylorsville
Location: 27 East Main Street / Main Cross Street
Built: 1988
Style: Modern
Architect: Unknown
Contractor: Unknown
Description: The building faces south and is a two story dark red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Taylorville to the east of the courthouse. The south front has a white colored portico supported by four columns rising to a pediment. The white colored entrance has a fanlight, The roof line is flat. The courtroom is located on the second story. The building is the Spencer County Fiscal Court Building. The building houses the County Circuit Court and County District Court of the 53rd Judicial Circuit.
See: The 53rd Judicial Circuit includes Anderson County and Shelby County.
History: The county was created in 1824 and Taylorsville was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse in 1824 was a house built by Matthew Nelson, Taylor Besse, George Boone and Ralph Lancaster and located on Lot 56 on the south side of Main Street which was rented and then purchased. The second courthouse was built by George McGew in 1828 on the public square at a cost of $6,740. The courthouse was destroyed by fire in 1865. The third courthouse was built in 1870 on the present site. The courthouse was destroyed by fire in 1913. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1915 to 1916 at a cost of $28,000. The County Courthouse Annex was constructed in 1988,
County Courthouse – Taylorsville
County Courthouse Annex – Taylorsville
County Circuit Court courtroom
Photos taken 2007 and 2018
Images 18*