Carter County is named for Zimri Carter, who was a pioneer and settler in the area.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Shannon County and Reynolds County
E – Wayne County and Butler County
S – Ripley County and Oregon County
W – Oregon County and Shannon County
Created: March 10, 1859
County Seat:
Van Buren 1859 – present
Old County Courthouse – Van Buren
Location: 105 Main Street / John Street
Built: 1871 – 1872
Style: Federalist
Architect: Peter Ake
Contractor: Peter Ake
Description: The building faces west and is a two story cobblestone and pine wood structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Van Buren. The building was originally 40 feet by 40 feet. The west front has an arch at the central entrance. And a slightly projecting section which rises to a peak above the roof line. On the center of the roof is a small octagonal cupola with red colored roof. In the interior wood stairs ascend to the former courtroom located on the second story. William Dawson supervised construction. The building was remodeled in 1935 to 1937 when it was faced with native cobblestones. An addition of 30 feet by 70 feet was added on the east side. This was a Public Works Administration project. The architect was Heckenlively and Mark of Springfield and the contractor was William Standley and Henri Susa, project engineers. The foreman was W Z Gossett. The courthouse was damaged by a flood in May 2017 and remains vacant. Temporary courthouse was established at 308 Main Street and a new courthouse constructed in 2021 to 2023.
County Courthouse – Van Buren
Location: 1122 Main Street / Joyce Street
Built: 2021 – 2023
Style: Modern
Architect: Dille Pollard Architecture, LLC of Poplar Bluff
Contractor: Zoellner Construction Company Inc. of Perryville
Description: The building faces south and is a two story stone, wood and concrete structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds on a low hill to the east of the center of Van Buren. The south front has a center section with glass panels and a canopy at the first story entrance. The roof line is flat. In the interior is a large lobby on the first story. On the second story the two County Circuit Court courtrooms are located on the north side. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 37th Judicial Circuit.
See: The 37th Judicial Circuit includes Howell County, Oregon County and Shannon County.
History: The county was created in 1859 and Van Buren was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a log structure built in 1837 and was used along with the Coleman Hotel. A temporary second courthouse, a hewn-log structure was built in 1867 under the supervision of James Snider. The third courthouse was constructed in 1871 at a cost of $3,000 and is still standing. The building was remodeled in 1935 to 1927 at a cost of $30,000. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 2021 to 2023.
County Courthouse – Van Buren
Former courtroom
County Courthouse – Van Buren
County Circuit Court courtroom
Photos taken 2009 and 2026
Images 19*