Hickory County named for “Old Hickory”, the plantation owned by President Andrew Jackson in Tennessee.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Benton County
E – Camden County and Dallas County
S – Polk County
W – St. Clair County
Created: February 14, 1845
County Seat:
Hermitage 1845 – present
County Courthouse – Hermitage
Location: 100 West Polk Street / Jackson Street
Built: 1896
Style: Colonial
Architect: Used existing plans
Contractor: Philip Schliefer of Halfway (see Note)
Description: The building faces south and is a two story red colored brick and wood structure. The building is located on the spacious landscaped grounds of the Public Square in the center of Hermitage. The south front has a central entrance with a gable at the roof line. The building has a hipped roof with an open wood belfry at the front of the building. On the north side is a one story section. In the interior, the walls are red colored brick and a staircase ascends to the second story. The County Circuit Court courtroom is located at the north side of the second story. The County Circuit Court courtroom is located on the second story. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 30th Judicial Circuit. On the northwest side is the old stone jail built in 1872.
Note: The present courthouse was built using the plans from the second courthouse and no architect was required. Local trades and labor were used. It is possible that the contractor was Philip Schliefer of Halfway, a stonemason who built the jail in 1872. The brick courthouse was built of bricks made just a couple of blocks northeast of the courthouse at a kiln set up to build the historical house that now serves as the county museum. The clay was quarried due north of the courthouse in the Pomme de Terre River bottom farm owned by the McCoy family.
See: The 30th Judicial Circuit includes Benton County, Dallas County, Polk County and Webster County.
History: The county was created in 1845 and Hermitage was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a frame structure built in 1847 and was destroyed by fire in 1852. The county used rented premises until the second courthouse was a two story brick structure built in 1860. The courthouse was destroyed by fire on January 8, 1881. The county used rented premises until the third and present courthouse was constructed in 1896 at a cost of $5,350.
County Courthouse – Hermitage
County Circuit Court courtroom
Old County Jail – Hermitage
Photos taken 2009 and 2023
Images 19*