Pettis County is named for Spencer Darwin Pettis, who was a United States Congressman.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Saline County
E – Cooper County and Morgan County
S – Benton County
W – Henry County and Johnson County
Created: November 25, 1820
County Seat:
St Helena 1833 – 1837
Georgetown 1837 – 1865
Sedalia 1865 – present
County Courthouse – Sedalia
Location: 415 South Ohio Avenue / East 4th Street
Built: 1923 – 1925
Style: Classical Revival
Architect: William E Hulse of Hutchinson, Kansas
Contractor: Western Construction Company of Des Moines, Iowa
Description: The building faces west and is a three story grey colored limestone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Sedalia. The building is 96 feet by 55 feet. The west front has eight columns rising from the second story to the top of the third story. The first story has horizontal stone and three entrances with small pediments and flanked by two arches on either side. A balustrade runs along the flat roof line with clock in the center. In the interior are terrazzo floors. On the first story are a County Circuit Court courtroom on the north side and a smaller courtroom on the northeast side. Wide stairs ascend to the upper stories. The large County Circuit Court courtroom is located at the center of the third story. The courtroom has oak furnishings and the walls are lined with paintings. At the east front is a large painting of Lady Justice by Charles Holloway. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 18th Judicial Circuit.
Note: The County Circuit Court courtroom has many paintings. The Walls of Justice A Pictorial Documentary is available from the Courthouse.
History: The county was created in 1820 and St Helena (Pin Hook) was selected as the county seat in 1833 after the county was organized. The first court met at the residence of James Ramey in 1833 to 1837. In 1837, the county seat was moved to Georgetown and the first courthouse was a brick structure built by George R Smith at a cost of $4,000. The building was destroyed by fire on June 22, 1920. In 1865, the county seat was moved to Sedalia. The second courthouse was a large frame structure built near Ohio Street and Main Street in 1865 at a cost of $900. The third courthouse was designed by J G Cairns and J S McKean of St Louis and built by W B Larkworthy in 1884 at a cost of $100,000. The building was destroyed by fire on June 16, 1920. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1923 to 1925 at a cost of $285,000.
County Courthouse – Sedalia
County Circuit Court courtroom
County Circuit Court courtroom
County Circuit Court small courtroom
Photos taken 2009 and 2026
Images 25*