Todd County - American Courthouses

Todd County is named for John Todd, who was a military colonel killed at the Battle of Blue Licks, and who lived from 1750 to 1782.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Muhlenberg County

E – Logan County

S – Robertson County, Tennessee and Montgomery County, Tennessee

W – Christian County

Created: December 30, 1819

County Seat:

Elkton 1819 – present

County Courthouse – Elkton

Location: 200 East Washington Street / Lucky Lane

Built: 1975 – 1976

Style: Modern Colonial

Architect: Tom Mimms Paine of Hopkinsville

Contractor: R K Smith & Company Inc. of Clarksville, Tennessee

Description: The building faces north and is a one story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Elkton. The building is cross shaped with four wings extending north, west, south and east. The north front has a portico supported by four white colored Doric columns. The corners are decorated with white colored stone. At the center of the flat roof is a large white colored dome. In the interior, the hallway runs north-south with the County Fiscal Court located in the former courtroom at the south central side of the building.

County Court of Justice – Elkton

Location: 224 West Main Street / Weathers Lane

Built: 2009 – 2011

Style: Modern

Architect: JKS Architects of Hopkinsville

Contractor: Codell Construction Company of Winchester

Description: The building faces south and is a two story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Elkton to the west of the old courthouse. The south front of the rectangular shaped building has a large projecting portico faced with beige colored concrete blocks and with four concrete columns rising to a pediment with round window at the roof line. The recessed entrance rises to an arched window at the second story. The windows are trimmed and a wide band runs below the roof line. The roof is hipped with gable ends at the center of the east and west sides. In the interior is an entrance lobby and a central rotunda with light-well between the first and second stories and staircase ascending to the second story. The floor of the rotunda has a large County seal. On the second story are two similar styled courtrooms for the County Circuit Court and County District Court. The building houses the County Circuit Court and County District Court of the 7th Judicial Circuit.

See: The contractor was Codell Construction Company of Winchester which company constructed many courthouse in Kentucky

(see Louisville).

Old County Courthouse – Elkton

Location: Public Square / East Main Street

Built: 1835 – 1837

Style: Colonial / Greek Revival

Architect: R Rowlins

Contractor: Jesse Russell

Description: The building faces east and is a two story red colored brick structure. The building is located on the landscaped grounds of the Public Square in the center of Elkton to the north of the courthouse. The rectangular shaped building consists of an almost cubical block of Flemish-bond brick with queen closers at the corners and beside the openings. The entrance doors are framed with white colored wood as are the headers above each window. Atop the building is a large square white colored wood cupola with clock at the top roof. The cupola was added in 1871 in Second Empire style. The roof is hipped. Between the tops of the doors and the transoms are interesting bands of “teardrop dentils”. Wood stairs ascend to the second story where the courtroom was located. The balusters of the south stairway have an unusually heavy quality, suggesting Grecian entasis. The building now houses a museum.

Note: Legend has it that a different brick mason laid each of the four brick walls and whoever finished first and constructed the best wall would receive a prize. It was recorded that a Mr. Shemwell won a coat as a prize for the south wall. Union troops occupied the building during the Civil War and was used as their headquarters.

See: National Register of Historic Places – Todd County Courthouse

See: The 7th Judicial Circuit includes Logan County.

History: The county was created in 1819 and Elkton was selected as the county seat in 1820. The first courthouse was a brick structure built by John Grey in 1821 with the brick being burned at the site. The courthouse was torn down in 1834. The second courthouse was built in 1835 to 1837 and is still standing. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1975 to 1976. The County Court of Justice was constructed in 2009 to 2011 at a cost of $9,500,000.