Callaway County is named for James Callaway, who was the grandson of Daniel Boone and who was killed in Indian fighting in 1815.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Audrain County
S – Osage County and Cole County
W – Boone County
Created: November 25, 1820
County Seat:
Elizabeth 1821 – 1825
Fulton 1825 – present
County Courthouse – Fulton
Location: 10 East 5th Street / Market Street
Built: 1938 – 1939
Style: Art Deco
Architect: E C Henderson, Jr. and Paul Elsner
Contractor: J E Hathman.
Description: The building faces north and is a three story red colored brick and cement structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds of the Public Square in the center of Fulton and is 134 feet by 80 feet. The north front has four large vertical pillars with a wide header rising above the roof line. Above the entrance are large windows. The windows are vertical with divider panels. The third story is recessed behind the north header. On the exterior of the courthouse there are eight medallions carved into the building, representing eight incidents in county’s history. In the interior there is a hearing room on the first story and the courtroom is located on the second story. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 13th Judicial Circuit. The building was renovated in 1996 to 2000. The architect was Renner-Howell and the contractor was Huey Constuction (phase 1) and Glovcon, Inc. (phase 2).
County Justice Center – Fulton
Location: 5 East 2nd Street / Market Street
Built: 2021 – 2023
Style: Modern
Architect: N-Form Architects of Springfield
Contractor: Little Dixie Construction Company of Columbia
Description: The building faces south and is is a three story red colored brick and cement structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Fulton to the south of the courthouse. The south front has a recessed porch on the first story and a large glass section above on the second and third stories. A projecting white colored section runs west. The roof line is flat. In the interior is a lobby. There are four County Circuit Court courtrooms. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 13th Judicial Circuit.
See: The 13th Judicial District covers Boone County.
History: The county was created in 1820 and Elizabeth was selected as the county seat in 1821. The county seat was moved to Fulton in 1825 and a logstructure was erected as the first courthouse. The second courthouse was a two story brick structure built by J Ferguson in 1826 to 1828 at a cost over $1,300. The courthouse was razed in 1856. The third courthouse was a temple-like structure designed by Solomon Jenkins and submitted by George W Braley, the commissioner, and was constructed by Alfred Moore in 1855 to 1856 at a cost of $17,850. The building was remodeled in 1885 at a cost of $4,875. The architect was M F Bell and the contractor was W A Gregory of Fulton. The building was demolished in 1938. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1938 to 1939 at a cost of $250,000. The County Justice Center was constructed in 2021 to 2023.
County Courthouse – Fulton
Old Courtroom
County Justice Center – Fulton
County Circuit Court courtroom
County Circuit Court courtroom
Photos taken 2009, 2024 and 2026
Images 31*