Howell County is named for James Howell, who was a pioneer and settler, or for Thomas J Howell, who was another settler.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Texas County
E – Shannon County and Oregon County
S – Fulton County, Arkansas
W – Ozark County and Douglas County
Created: March 2, 1857
County Seat:
West Plains 1857 – present
County Courthouse – West Plains
Location: 160 Courthouse Square / Main Street
Built: 1935 – 1937
Style: Art Deco
Architect: Earl Hawkins of Springfield
Contractor: L H Britton.
Description: The building faces west and is a three story gray colored Carthage stone and concrete structure. The building is located on the landscaped grounds of the Courthouse Square in the center of West Plains and is 82 feet square. The west front has a central entrance on the first story. The second and third story windows are a single vertical section. The roof line is flat. In the interior, the walls are painted a blue color. The County Circuit Court courtroom is located at the southwest side of the second story. There is a small courtroom located at the southwest side of the second story. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 37th Judicial Circuit. This was a Work Projects Administration project. In 2025, the exterior was cleaned by MTS Contracting of Kansas City. On the west side is the County Office Building constructed in 1985.
See: The architect, Earl Hawkins designed courthouses in Laclede County, Ozark County and Webster County.
See: The 37th Judicial Circuit includes Carter County, Oregon County and Shannon County.
History: The county was created in 1857 and West Plains was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a log structure built in 1859. The building was destroyed by fire in 1866. The second courthouse was a three room frame structure built by T E Britton in 1869 at a cost of approximately $776. The third courthouse was a brick structure designed by Henry H. Hohenschild and was constructed by G W Goodlander of Fort Scott, Kansas in 1883 to 1884 at a cost of $16,600. The building was razed in 1933. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1935 to 197 at a cost of $107,000.
County Courthouse – West Plains
County Circuit Court courtroom
County Circuit Court small courtroom
County Office Building – West Plains
Photos taken 2009 and 2026
Images 13*