Carroll County - American Courthouses

Carroll County is named for Charles Carroll, who was a delegate to the Continental Congress and a United States Senator for Maryland, or for Charles Carroll of Carrollton.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Livingston County

E – Chariton County

S – Saline County and Lafayette County

W – Ray County and Caldwell County

Created: November 16, 1820

County Seat:

Carrollton 1827 – present

County Courthouse – Carrollton

Location: 8 South Main Street / West Benton Street

Built: 1902 – 1904

Style: Romanesque

Architect: Robert George Kirsch of Kirsch and Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Contractor: John Scott and Sons of Lancaster

Description: The building faces east and is a two story course stone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Carrollton. The building has a raised basement. The east front has a projecting center section with large arch with two stone columns at the first story entrance and large arched window on the second story. The center section rises to a peak above the roof line. The roof is hipped. In the interior, the staircase on the east side has slate steps and ornate wrought iron balustrades. The floors have hexagonal terrazzo tile. The millwork is golden oak. The County Circuit Court courtroom is located on the southwest side of the second story. The County Circuit Court small courtroom is located in the basement on the southeast side. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 8th Judicial Circuit. On the southwest side is the old County Jail built in 1878 with a 1958 addition.

See: The architect, Robert George Kirsch designed courthouses in Missouri in Adair County, Cooper County, Polk County and Vernon County, in Texas in Hemphill County and Randall County, and in Wisconsin in Oconto County and Waukesha County.

See: National Register of Historic Places – Carroll County Courthouse

See: The 8th Judicial Circuit includes Ray County.

History: The county was created in 1833 and Carrollton was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a hewn log structure built by William Glaze in 1834 at a cost of $273.50. The second courthouse was a two story brick structure built in 1839 to 1843 at a cost of $4,000. In 1855, a cupola was built by Thomas Tweedy and Joseph Troxel was hired to complete the work in 1857. The courthouse was razed in 1865. The third courthouse was a two story brick structure built in 1867 by Jacobs, Farris and Company at a cost of $12,350. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1902 to 1904 at a cost of $45,900.