Douglas County is named for Stephen A Douglas, who was a politician from Illinois and Democratic nominee for President in 1860.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Webster County, Wright County and Texas County
E – Howell County
S – Ozark County and Taney County
W – Christian County
Created: October 24, 1857
County Seat:
Vera Cruz 1857 – 1860
Rome 1860 – 1873
Ava 1873 – present
County Courthouse – Ava
Location: 203 SE 2nd Avenue / SE 2nd Street
Built: 1936 – 1937
Style: Art Deco
Architect: Dan R Sanford
Contractor: Weeks Construction Company of Kansas City.
Description: The building faces north and is a two story red colored brick, concrete and stone structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Ava. The building has a raised concrete basement. The building is trimmed with “cast” stone made with Carthage stone chips, crushed and mixed with cement, cast into blocks and polished. The north front and west side have stone trim around the central entrances. Stone trim also runs along the roof line with vertical ornamentation. The roof line is flat. In the interior, stairs on the north side lead to a lobby and stairs ascend to the second story and is paneled in dark colored wood.. The County Circuit Court courtroom is located on the west side of the second story. There is a large stuffed eagle overlooking the courtroom. There is also a small courtroom on the north side of the second story. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 44th Judicial Circuit.
See: The 44th Judicial Circuit includes Ozark County and Wright County.
History: The county was created in 1857 and Vera Cruz was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a log structure built in Vera Cruz in 1857 by volunteer labor. In 1860, the county seat was moved temporally to Rome and back to Vera Cruz during the Civil War. The second courthouse was a frame structure built in Ava in 1872 at a cost of $350 and the building was burned in July 1872. The county seat was moved to Ava in 1873 and the third courthouse was also a frame structure built in 1873. The courthouse burned on May 2, 1886 and the county moved into a school house. The fourth courthouse was a clap-board structure built in 1888. The fifth and present courthouse was constructed in 1936 to 1937 at a cost of $83,000.
County Courthouse – Ava
County Circuit Court courtroom
Photos taken 2009 and 2023
Images 14*