Scotland County is named for the country of Scotland in the British Isles.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Davis County, Iowa and Van Buren County, Iowa
E – Clark County
S – Knox County
W – Schuyler County
Created: January 29, 1841
County Seat:
Memphis 1841 – present
County Courthouse – Memphis
Location: 117 South Market Street / Madison Street
Built: 1907 – 1908
Style: Beaux Arts and Classical
Architect: W Chamberlain Company, of Birmingham, Alabama
Contractor: Falls City Construction of Louisville, Kentucky
Description: The building faces west and is a two story gray colored stone veneered and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Memphis. The building has a raised basement and the ends of the building extend in a semi-circle. The west front has two large white colored columns with a recessed entrance between the columns. A wide white colored band runs above the second story windows to a projecting cornice with a further band along the roof line. On the center of the building is a large white colored dome with clock, windows and copper roof which rises 80 feet above the ground. The flat roof is slate. In the interior the basement contains jail cells that are still used. Stairs ascend to the second story County Circuit Court courtroom located along the east side. The circular courtroom is wood paneled. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 1st Judicial Circuit.
See: The contractor Falls City Construction Company of Louisville, Kentucky.
See: The 1st Judicial Circuit includes Clark County and Schuyler County.
History: The county was created in 1841 and the first county meeting was held at Millport and then Sand Hill. The first courthouse was a single room log cabin in Sand Hill. The structure is housed in the Wiggins Family Museum at East Monroe Street and South Market Street in Memphis. Memphis was selected as the county seat in 1843. The second courthouse was a two story brick structure designed by Charles Mety and built by William Staples of Monticello in 1844 and 1845 at a cost of $1,500. The building was torn down in 1857. The third courthouse was a two story brick and stone designed and built by Solomon Jenkins in 1856 at a cost of $19,500. The building was razed in 1907. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1907 to 1908 at a cost of $50,000.
County Courthouse – Memphis
County Circuit Court courtroom
Photos taken 2005, 2008 and 2024
Images 15*