Benton County is named for Thomas Hart Benton, who was a United States Senator from Missouri.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Pettis County
E – Morgan County and Camden County
S – Hickory County
W – St. Clair County and Henry County
Created: January 3, 1835
County Seat:
Warsaw 1837 – present
County Courthouse – Warsaw
Location: 316 Van Buren Street / Main Street
Built: 1886 – 1887
Style: Federalist
Architect: George A Masters
Contractor: Maurice Barret of Sedalia and Fred Busche of Lincoln
Description: The building faces northwest and is a two story red colored brick and stone structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Warsaw. The northwest front has a two story porch with balcony on the second story which was added in 2008. At the roof line is a gable with a slanted roof running the length of the building. In the interior the walls have paneling and a staircase ascends to the second story. The large County Circuit Court courtroom is located on the second story and has wood paneled walls. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 30th Judicial Circuit. The superintendent was L C Steavenson. A large addition was constructed on the south side in 2008. The architect was Zingre and Associates and the contractor was Westport Construction, Inc.
See: The 30th Judicial Circuit includes Dallas County, Hickory County, Polk County and Webster County.
History: The county was created in 1835 and Warsaw was selected as the county seat in 1837. The first courts met in private homes. The first courthouse was a log structure built by Glover and Davis as a temporary building under the supervision of Adamson Cornwall in 1838. At the same time, a permanent second courthouse was a two story structure constructed by Rolla M Griffith and later by Bartholomew Keown, William Hurt, Joel Shepard and James Donald in 1840 at a cost was $4,500. In 1881, the courthouse was condemned. The third present courthouse was constructed in 1886 to 1887 at a cost of $9,089.
County Courthouse – Warsaw
County Circuit Court courtroom
Old County Sheriff Residence – Warsaw
Photos taken 2009 and 2023
Images 17*